A Near Fatal Mistake
by Andorian Ice Princess-AIP
Summary: Horatio finds himself in the clutches of a twisted serial killer; his life in hanging in the balance. Will he be saved in time? Will he and Calleigh ever get the chance to make amends? Will the killer ever be stopped for good? COMPLETE
1. A Deadly Trap

**Title: A Near Fatal Mistake  
Chapter 1 - A Deadly Trap**

**Summary:** Horatio finds himself in the clutches of a twisted serial killer; his life in hanging in the balance. Will he be saved in time? Will he and Calleigh ever get the chance to make amends? Will the killer ever be stopped for good?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the CSI Miami cast. You know the rest write (grin)? All other characters are my own. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental. Thanks

**A/N:** This will be my last DuCaine (multi-chapter) story so hope you like it.

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As his world slowly starts to come back to him, he knows instantly that something isn't right. He struggles to get his eyes open, but when they finally do, all he sees is black. Being able to blink he knows he's not blindfolded but being kept in something dark; a few slits of light teasing his brain; taunting his helpless state. He tries to pull his hands free, but is unable, his fingers quickly inspecting the hard plastic zip tie that is keeping his wrists painfully but securely restrained behind his back. He tries to call for help, only to be hindered by the heavy piece of tape firmly applied over his mouth, drowning out any attempts at making himself known; or the predicament he's found himself in.

Horatio closes his eyes, praying for the pounding in his head to cease as he thinks back to a heated discussion he had with Calleigh only hours earlier that led to his rash actions and subsequent capture.

_'You can't tell me not to go and inspect those damn trucks alone when you did the same thing. A bit hypocritical don't you think Horatio? You're just a woman...isn't that what you said?'_

_'Ryan threw that out and...'_

_'And you didn't argue back. Don't ever patronize me Horatio!'_

_'So now I can't show concern?'_

_'There wasn't concern in your voice when you backed that claim earlier and you know it.'_

And the argument and tension escalated from there, causing their tension filled rift to widen. Neither meant what they said but both were unable to verbalize their apologies and so they remained tense and contrite toward each other.

_Oh Calleigh, I'm so sorry, _his mind laments as he closes his eyes, willing the painful throbbing in his head to stop and his mind flashing back to the point this all started.

It had all started a few weeks ago with an ill fated phone call.

_'Lieutenant Caine? Detective Stan Grimes from Philly, you got a moment?'_

The call came in from the CSI office in Philadelphia that a suspected serial killer that drove a beat up big rig was possibly in the Miami-Dade area, another victim in his sights. His name was Carl Wheeler and he was as twisted and sadistic as they come; an ironic last name for a man who used an eighteen wheeler as his instrument of death. Standing just over six feet tall, greasy black hair, a few well placed tattoos, nicotine stained teeth, powerful hands, haunting black eyes and a conscience that was seared from birth. His victims were all male, kidnapped and tortured, carved up before stabbed in the lungs; their bodies, still alive, dumped in some deserted area where they died alone, futilely gasping for air, but unable to do to anything but remain bound and gagged and pray for a quick death; any kind of release from their physical torment.

_'How is it that no one has been able to catch this guy yet? Surely a big rig isn't that hard to hide,' _Horatio had discussed with the lead Philadelphia CSI.

_'Horatio, this bastard has the whole trucker force thinking he's some kind of untouchable hero; even paying off those that'll help him. He's twisted out stories to make it seem like we are fingering the wrong man on some kind of trumped up charge. They don't believe us. The only way to catch this guy is to set a trap and pray he falls for it. Because none of his kind will turn him in to help you.'_

The team was anxious to find Carl Wheeler and put him away, tirelessly following leads; Calleigh working long hours into the night just the same as him. However one time she came back from following a lead on her own and that ignited inner fears for her life; a battle inside constantly waging at telling her that he was falling in love with her and holding back for fear of professional propriety and his own inner demons.

_'Next time call for backup!' He had ordered in frustration._

_'There wasn't time!'_

_'That's an order Calleigh.'_

_'I'm not his type Horatio, you are! Will you follow the same order?'_

She had firmly countered; thinking that if he was once again reminded of the fact that the killer wasn't interested in women that all would be okay for her. And while she was right, his feelings inside kept him from seeing the rational truth; he was the next target, she wasn't. And while he knew her words to be true, he told himself that he wouldn't end up like them; he would stop this bastard before another body would be discovered.

_'What's this really about Horatio? Protocol or something else?'_

_'Calleigh...'_

_'Can you tell me the truth?'_

_'I am worried.'_

_'Why?'_

_'This man has no conscience. You can get Eric to...'_

_'Horatio he's never targeted a woman! Now if you'll excuse me I have a lead to follow up on. That call came to me and I'm taking it.'_

_'Damn it!'_

With that she had turned and stormed out of his office, blond strands swinging behind her shoulders, her posture firm and her whole frame on edge. But he had hurried after her, gently taken her aside and tried to make amends before the tension got out of hand; knowing it was his place to take the lead in smoothing this over and getting back on the right track.

_'I can't go with you on this one. When Eric is back?'_

_'I'll take Natalia with me. I think we should both be safe.'_

She had looked at him; an intense emerald stare starting to pierce his sapphire shield, threatening to force him to break down right there, take her in his arms, kiss her long and hard and prove to her why he was so on edge.

_'What is it?'_

_'It's nothing.'_

_'Horatio you can tell me. Please?'_

_'Not here.'_

_'We are alone.'_

_'Just wanted to...it's just not the right place. Not for this. Not for what I want to tell you.'_

_'Okay then, I'll see you later.'_

_'Calleigh?'_

_'It's okay, I'm not going anywhere, we'll talk later.'_

Later never came.

He stood fixed in time, watching her leave in misery; cursing himself for not just telling her the truth right there; he was in love with her and would fear his life would end if he allowed her to walk into some kind of twisted trap alone without warning. Thus he played right into the killers hands; Calleigh unaware of the life threatening danger he was now in. She had offered him a soft smile as she departed, a small glimmer of hope being offered, something he so desperately wanted to cling to. He had told himself in that moment, as soon as she was back, he would take her for coffee, some place private and at least tell her how much he cared, wanting to take it slow and not scare her away with a full blown confession. That would come. Or would it?

But right after she left he then got a call on what he thought was a credible source on the truck responsible for the deaths and chased after it, not calling for backup; telling himself there was no time and it was just one man. He had heard that Calleigh wisely taken Natalia with her, Ryan and Eric already trying to fish out another lead in the everglades with Frank. The drive to the spot his mind kept nagging at him that something wasn't right; that he had nothing to prove to anyone on this solitary, foolhardy mission. He didn't listen.

Instead, he had caught up with big rig on a deserted stretch of road just on the edge skirts of a part of the everglades that wasn't frequented by any human, his team at the far end of the area; away from help and any needed backup. So far the source's information was correct; but that is what the killer wanted.

_'Show me your hands!' Horatio remembered himself demanding. _

When he saw the mans face in the side mirror, a masked image the devious killer had flashed; Horatio told himself this wasn't the man and it was okay to proceed. The man hands appeared through the open window and he figured all was fine; and per his usual always rushing in where angels fear to tread, he made his move. A near fatal mistake he would soon be forced to ponder.

But the killer was ready and so when he asked him to step out of the cabin, he was met in the face with the side of the truck door which dazed him and allowed his, now captor, to finish the job, hitting him again on the head with something hard before stuffing him into the back of the sleeper cabin, bound and gagged.

_Stupid! _Horatio curses himself as he tries to shift his weary and throbbing frame. His foot kicks at the side of what he assumes is the sleeper cabin of the big rig he's being kidnapped in; but to no avail, his captor merely turns the music louder, drowning out the helpless police officers vain attempts at being heard to anyone in the outside world.

_'And if you get your ass kicked by one of them, don't come asking for some nursing either! Because maybe this time I won't be there!' _

He remembers Calleigh tossing at him one night; his own snippy remark prompting her callous comeback. Now he wonders if this will be the end and he'll never get the chance to say he's sorry for the stupid argument that was ignited, mostly due to his own arrogance. He actually wonders if he'll ever get the chance to tell her how much he does care; his own life void if hers was taken. Would she mourn him as he would her? Would she even notice him missing until it was too late? Would anyone?

He slightly shifts on his side, the plastic biting into his tender skin as he does so; a painful reminder that the man holding him, the man already responsible for six grisly deaths in his big rig, was in charge and he wouldn't be going anywhere, much less escaping without help. Would help even arrive in time? Who knew where he was? When he had gotten the call he didn't tell anyone, the rest of the team was busy. Where was his phone? Still traceable?

For the next while he does everything he can to try to find a way out, kicking at the side his feet are facing; the space too small to turn around effectively with his arms pinned tightly behind his back. But knowing he cannot just go down without a fight or doing everything he can to find a way out; never going to just lay still and accept defeat, Horatio doesn't care that he works himself into a useless sweat, he has to try. His fingers try their best to inspect the surrounding area behind him, his brain offering futile curse upon curse when he realizes there is nothing there he can use to even try to gnaw at the firm plastic.

For a moment his fingers rest on something and his elation starts to rise until he realizes that the item he had hoped he'd be able to use to cut himself free was in fact just a firm edge of the blanket and nothing more than an item to taunt his helplessness. Horatio slumps his head back down onto the mattress and closes his eyes for a second. Is this how the others felt? That moment of despair? He knew what his captor was capable of and now his own mind races with how he'll face his seemingly inevitable death.

His wrists pull again, trying so hard to summon any bit of strength or energy; hoping to find some kind of give between his wrists - none could be found. He could only hope now that his captor would somehow become lax in his actions and he would be afforded any opportunity; any opportunity at securing his escape. That's all that mattered now.

Horatio feels the big rig starting to slow but his own heart rate starting to pick up the pace. The report from Philadelphia confirmed that the men where held captive for about twenty-four hours; none reported missing until it was too late. He hopes that in his case it would be less because he was expected back. Would they track the Hummer's GPS? Would they find its location? But if they did would they even know which direction the big rig took? He didn't even know if they were still in Florida.

The large truck finally comes to a dead halt and the small door slides open, revealing the smug smile of the man that now holds his very life in his murderous hands. The men that were later discovered, were tortured, slowly sliced while they remained bound, helpless and alone; begging for death but unable to make their cries heard. Horatio tries to bring his feet forward, but while there might room inside the actual sleeper cabin for his entire frame, the opening doesn't afford him much opportunity to attack. He tries to kick at his captor once more, only to receive a blow to the gut, winding him and allowing his captor to fill the cabin with taunting laughter as he arranges the passenger seat so that Horatio could only kick at the back of the firm leather seat.

"Comfortable Lieutenant Caine?" Carl Wheeler mocks as he leans forward and roughly yanks the tape from Horatio's lips; forcing his face to wince from the sting.

"My team...is not far...behind," Horatio pants, praying his voice comes across as firm and not shaky due to his inner fear; his mind already knowing what his captor is capable of.

"I doubt it," he retorts. "I disabled the GPS. Yeah I know, pretty smart for a dumb ass trucker right? Wasn't that the comment you pegged us all with a few hours back?" He yells as his fist adds another blow to Horatio's already bruised and slightly cut forehead, a wound just above his eye that his kidnapper isn't taking any pity on. He feels a small droplet of blood escape the angry wound and slowly seep past his sun kissed brows.

"You know what_ I am_ capable of right Caine?" Wheeler sneers as he slowly retrieves his cutting blade, his favoured instrument of death; letting the crimson stained weapon slowly swing before Horatio's slightly watery blue eyes.

"Do you know what _I am_ capable of?" Horatio counters, forcing the man to chuckle.

"You know kinda surprised you took the bait so easily. But trust me I am flattered you came here alone. Makes me feel soooo special," Wheeler smugly ponders as his fingers casually play with the weapon.

"My team knows..." Horatio tries again.

"I watched you the past few days...at the yard; barking out orders like some high priced dog," Wheeler's voice turns gruff. "Thought you sounded pretty sure of yourself there," he pauses with a snicker. "I'm so glad my disguise worked," he boasts. "Brought you down pretty fast. Yeah you don't look too sure of yourself here. In fact you look pretty damn SCARED!" He finishes with a shout.

But in a swift second, before Horatio can offer another word, the blade is pushed up against his lips, shutting Horatio up in seconds and forcing his heart rate to race toward critical. The mans other hand rests on his neck, just above the folds of his dark dress shirt, applying some pressure and forcing Horatio's lips to purse for air; the tender skin now feeling the edge of the blade and his tongue forced to ingest the coppery sludge of victims past.

"I know we don't have much time, because unlike the rest of the worthless men who dared to cross me were basically a bunch of nobody's you have people expecting you. So your stay here will be short and _painful._"

Horatio looks at him, not daring to blink or swallow; his brain not willing yet to accept defeat at this man's hands.

"Beg me Lieutenant...beg me to spare your life. Beg me like the others did," Wheeler growls as he pushes the blade back against Horatio's face, leaving faint traces of blood and dirt against Horatio's fair skin.

"Go...to hell," Horatio manages weakly as his crystal blue eyes lock with the dead black ones before him; his very soul offering an involuntary shudder as he sees the victims past dancing in the haunted pools before him; their calls for help, to save their lives, landing on unresponsive ears.

"Beg me Caine! Beg me like a worthless dog!" His captor shouts.

Horatio merely narrows his gaze but refuses to give the man anything more in the way of twisted satisfaction.

"BEG ME!" Wheeler shouts again; Horatio remaining silence in defiance. "No?" Wheeler snides as he merely pulls back with a look of anger and disappointment, his fingers putting the knife away and retrieving the heavy roll of tape.

"Well you know I am not one for talking for long periods," Wheeler states matter of factly. "And now I am going to make you scream. I only like to hear women screaming my name; so you'll forgive me if I don't take the same pleasure from you."

"You are nothing more than a filthy coward!" Horatio growls.

"Ooh sticks and stones," Wheeler laughs. "Last chance Caine," he warns as his fingers go to tear away a strip. "Want to beg me for your life?"

"You will never succeed."

"Yeah yeah heard that before. How about you try this, _'okay Mr. Wheeler, I know you are going to offer me a painful death so please don't hurt me.'_ Wheeler finishes with a laugh.

"I'll not give you the satisfaction!" Horatio growls in defiance once more.

"Got a family Lieutenant? Anyone you care about? Love? Or who will miss you? I didn't see a ring earlier," Wheeler shrugs. "How about your team? Think they'll like the sight they find?"

"My team will find you and put you where you belong."

"Yawn," Wheeler huffs. "Last chance Caine. I usually don't like to rush my work, but you got a bigger target on you than the rest. You want to beg me not to kill you?"

"I'll not..."

"BEG ME!" Wheeler shouts impatiently.

"Go to hell."

"Been there," Wheeler sighs as he finally tugs a piece of the tape free. "Now it's your turn to experience hell."

"You will not..." is all Horatio manages before his captor once again silences him by pressing down hard on his mouth, drowning out the rest of his firm but futile warning.

"Actually I will," Wheeler smiles as he pats Horatio on the cheek. "I have already gotten away with this," he smiles as he retrieves the knife once again. "No one knows where you are and by the time I finish with you all that will be left will picked away by the crocs and vultures. Just like the others."

Horatio's mind quickly flashes him haunting images of the grisly victims; men, about his age and stature, but each targeted for a different reason, their lives, however, all taken in the same manner. All carved up, unrecognizable in the end. Dental records and a few personal effects, the only things that garnered them their ID and the grief stricken families some closure.

"You know you always dress so nice," Wheeler goads as the tip of the knife rests just above the waist band to Horatio's dark dress pants. "But it's a little boring," he laughs. "Time to remedy that," and before Horatio can make another move; offering any kind of vain attempt to defend himself, the tip of the blade slices open the dark fabric of his dress shirt, leaving only lightly tanned and very vulnerable smooth flesh exposed. "Ah there you are. Much better."

Horatio's stomach automatically sucks in as the cold blade is pressed against it, his arms struggling in vain to pull himself free of the biting plastic restraints; the folds of his tender skin around the edges of the plastic binding already being bruised and cut further. He feels the tip press slightly into his warm skin and yells into the gag; his heart now beating painfully in his chest and his mind racing with thoughts of his own painful death.

"Let's see if you bleed blue," Wheeler taunts as he digs the tip into the soft flesh just above his belly button and draws the knife upward, Horatio's lips offering muffled screams as his stomach wants to throw up, his throat quickly swallowing down the bile; the feeling of his own warm blood slowly trickling down his sides forcing his body to buckle further and his mind to race faster; his heart about to give way; his ear drums ready to burst.

"Not blue. Kinda disappointed Caine," Wheeler pulls back with a mock pout, allowing the blade to once again swing in the air, a few droplets smattering to the bed of the sleeping cab, Horatio's mind screaming with pain. However, he knows it was just a surface cut and will heal, that is if he's found in time; before his demented captor can do further harm.

However that isn't to be. The knife nears him again and Horatio knows that his torment is only starting.

"You know one of the fondest memories I have with my father; may the rotten bastard rot in hell," Wheeler chides. "Sorry, where was I? Oh yeah a memory, right...so it was when my father gave me a personal tattoo. I too bucked at first, but then got used to it. You won't have time to really enjoy it however. So would you like a tattoo Lieutenant Caine? Yes? Excellent!"

Horatio tries to pull back, his lungs once again heaving for air as his cut chest begs for some kind of relief; any movement his body offers, resulting in shooting bursts of pain. He watches as the blade nears him once more, this time slicing a patch open toward his shoulder, the crimson tip; skilful in the hands of his demented captor, starts to cut into his shoulder, forcing Horatio's body to buckle.

Once again the cut only superficial, healing with time if he would be so permitted; his mind begging for help, praying for a rescue, but his heart yelling that it was already too late and he would die alone in a grisly and painful manner. His mind quickly flashes moments in his life where he knows he could have made amends and now wonders if he'll ever have the chance. And what about Calleigh? He would never tell her he loves her. Kyle? He would never see him grow up to be the responsible man he knows he has the potential for. Wheeler finally places the knife on the seat and looks at Horatio with a frown before glancing at his own watch.

"One for the road, I have time."

Wheeler pulls out a pack of cigarettes and lights one up, blowing the smoke into Horatio's small enclosed space, forcing the air to thicken and his lungs to constrict further, his watery eyes stinging from the putrid fumes and his nose fighting for whatever amount of fresh air it can find.

"You know what's funny," Wheeler pauses as he holds the half smoked butt between this thick dirty fingers. "They say _these things _will kill you," he finishes with a hearty laugh; his large frame twitching with delight.

Wheeler leans back in his chair, watching Horatio's captive frame as it lightly struggles; his movements now slow, trying to keep the searing pain at bay.

"You know you might call yourself high and mighty but right now...damn I gotta tell ya, you look as pathetic as the rest. Course most of them were kinda wimpy. You still have your defiance Caine, very refreshing. Short lived but still amusing, so I thank you."

Horatio flashes him a searing gaze of hatred, his mind vowing revenge if he should ever be afforded the opportunity. He had always told his team not to take liberties with their leads or their lives; yet it was something he always failed to ensure himself, telling himself that although he had to set the example he knew he was the one that took liberties the most; always trying to prove to himself that he was indestructible and untouchable. He would have been screaming if it was Eric, Ryan or any other male team member in his predicament; his mind unable to even wonder what Calleigh would be thinking. If he got out of this alive, the next pep talk would be for him.

Wheeler finishes his butt and tosses it into the back with Horatio, the slightly smouldering piece landing a few inches from a freshly created wound; the blood slowly seeping down his smooth skin and creating a red circle on the tattered blanket beneath him. Thankfully a blast in the distance is heard, signalling the killer that it's time to move on.

"Well time to get moving," Wheeler states with an uninterested sigh. "I get bored being in one place for too long. But if I were you, I'd start praying right about now because the next time we do stop, it could be your final resting place. All depends on my mood and if you don't piss me off again!"

With those haunting words, his captor slams the small compartment door shut, sealing Horatio back inside his stuffy dark coffin and starting up the big rig once more; the music blaring as it was before; Wheeler's taunting laugher ringing in his ears.

Horatio tries to move, wanting to shift his now sweat wracked frame to a better position, but in doing so opens the ribbon of flesh a bit more and yells out a muffled curse and slumps his damp head back down onto the musty bed in defeat. He had wanted to shift to his back, not caring about his wrists but decides to just remain put, less strain on his chest and try to calm his heart rate and think of something...anything he can do to try to escape. He wasn't about to give up just yet.

_Oh god what have I done, _his mind laments in pain as he closes his eyes in misery.

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**A/N:** Okay so how was that? Who will find Horatio? How will Calleigh feel? Will Wheeler get away? What will happen when Horatio is found? Hopefully you want to see the rest and thank you in advance.


	2. A Feeling of Fear

**Title: A Near Fatal Mistake  
****Chapter 2 - A Feeling of Fear**

**A/N:** Thanks for the great reviews for chapter 1 and sorry for the delay in getting this up! I hope chapter isn't to slow but it's going to focus on Calleigh and her thoughts on H being missing and then back to the action. A special **thank you **to **TheLuckyLlama17** for all your wonderful help and time with this; most appreciated and sorry if I drove you crazy! :D

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~A few weeks back~

_'You cold?'__ Horatio asked as they departed the restaurant, heading into the cool night air._

_'A little, but not bad,' Calleigh answered; delighted when he then removed his jacket, draped it over her shoulders and then pulled her back into his strong embrace. _

_'You?'__ Calleigh queried, voice slightly muffled through his hug._

_'A little, but not bad,' Horatio teased. 'Shall I take my jacket back?'_

_'Do and die mister,' she joked back._

_They walked for a few minutes in comfortable silence before Horatio stopped them, gently turned her body to face his, tilted her lips and pressed his mouth firmly against them, flooding her entire being with heated delight._

_'I want more,' he ttold her._

_'Horatio we just ate. If you want...'_

_'Not more food,' he smirked, cutting her off. 'More of this...of us. I want it all.'_

_'I do too. But...' Calleigh's voice trailed off, suddenly unsure of what to say._

_'No, I'm not in a hurry, not wanting to rush this. I'm not going anywhere. Are you?'_

_'I never wanted to leave in the first place,' she admitted as it was her turn to bring his lips to hers, crushing them once again. _

_'I want to take this slow and enjoy every moment,' he confessed, a few moments later._

_'So do I.'_

"Hey Calleigh you okay?" Natalia asks as she glances over at Calleigh in the Hummer as they drive back to the lab, just as Calleigh lets out a small gasp; her mind quickly snapping her back to present day as the image of Horatio's handsome face is replaced with a bloody corpse. "What is it?"

"Yeah I um..." she pauses, her still mind reeling from the strange sensation, she just experienced. "It's nothing."

"You look kinda pale."

"Must have been the tuna salad at lunch," she offers weakly. "I'm okay, really."

"You sure?" Natalia suspiciously eyes her friend, raising one eyebrow.

"Yeah just...it's nothing," she insists, somewhat hesitantly. "I think I'm just tired."

"Well maybe we'll catch this guy and then we'll all be able to sleep better tonight."

"I hope so," Calleigh agrees with a soft smile.

But as they near their home base once again; Calleigh's mind starts to ponder the peculiar feeling growing inside, her heart never daring to guess that the sharp pain she's experiencing originates from when the man she loves underwent something horrible. She attempts to reassure herself that all is as it should be, Horatio is waiting for them at the lab and that she and Horatio would make some time tonight as he had suggested and work past their heated discussion, in order to get back on the track they were before, trying to grow a personal, romantic relationship.

"It's getting dark," she mumbles to herself as Natalia brings the Hummer to a halt.

"I think the boys should be back by now," Natalia mentions as they both get out, greeted by a warm blast of humid air, the sky around them half shades of dark blue, crimson, and fiery orange, as the setting sun filter through a few stray clouds.

"Well, I'm sure Horatio will just call another meeting, tell us that our leads once again turned up nothing, and that will be that," Calleigh states with a slight bitter edge in her tone.

"And then another peaceful sleepless night?" Natalia arches a brow as the head inside the gloriously air-conditioned building.

"_Alone_," Calleigh's dismal voice dies out as Eric walks up to them, leaving Natalia unable to say or ask anything further about her cryptic answer. She and Horatio had traded a few romantic nights at each other's places in the weeks leading up to the case, but in the past two weeks there were too many late-night shifts and sleepless nights to really just enjoy being together. Would they get those moments of love back? Or would things be too strained by the time this case was over?

"Anything?" Natalia questioned Eric, with a hopeful twinge.

"Both our leads were dead ends, either this guy has a lot of money to pay off every trucker in the area or he really is an expert in hiding," Eric huffs. "You two have any success?"

"Besides the usual sex starved trucker comments?" Natalia answers flippantly, drawing a smirk from Eric's lips. "The same as you; dead ends. Maybe this guy has already left the state; already moved on?"

"Always a possibility," Calleigh agrees as she looks at her watch. "Almost 'team meeting time.'"

"H isn't back yet, so it will have to wait," Eric comments.

"Where did he go?"

"Not sure. Clerk said he just rushed out without saying a word. Not sure where Frank is. We were with him and then he left. Could be with H right now," Eric shrugs as his phone goes off. "Okay I gotta take this call, see you both later."

"I'll finish up those last tests," Natalia tells Calleigh as she turns to leave.

_'H isn't back yet...didn't tell anyone...but could be with Frank right now...'_ Eric's voice prattles on in Calleigh's mind as she absently wanders toward Horatio's office. For a brief second she can picture him behind his office desk, shoulders squared, jaw tense, and a determined look in his crystal blue eyes. But her mind quickly recalls details of their last heated argument and she finds herself starting to get agitated. Adding to her irritability is the growing doubt in the pit of her stomach that something isn't right, that Horatio is in trouble. _Oh Calleigh snap out of it, _she commands herself. _Horatio is just fine and you are just being emotional._

_"Horatio?"__ Her mind thinks back to the first morning they woke up together a month back. "You have an odd look on your face."_

_"Pinch me."_

_"Where?"__ She remembered teasing._

_"Where it counts," he flirted in return, prompting her hand to slowly trail downward to his most sensitive area, his eyes closing with delight and his lips offering a very satisfied moan. _

_"Does this count?"_

_"Very much."_

_"What was that for?"_

_"Just wanted to make sure you are really here."_

That moment had progressed into a beautiful love-making adventure; the first of many intimate exploits to come. However, once the case started, tempers flared more easily and the private tender moments were fewer and far between; culminating in the heated showdown from a few hours earlier that resulted in them separating in anger. She had offered him a slight smile, the promise of a possibility for reconciliation, but had to wonder if he could see the doubt and tension in her eyes. Would she have the chance to make amends? Was the abnormal churning inside her soul just a silly feeling or was it actually an ominous warning that something indeed was terribly wrong?

She feels her fingers itching to reach for the phone on her hip; her fingers tempted to dial his number and ask where on earth he was and what he was doing. But she glances up, catches sight of Frank approaching and tells herself that Horatio is probably back and that he's asked Frank to come and get her for the meeting. _I can make him pay later for sending the messenger instead of coming himself, _her brain chides.

"Hey, Calleigh, you seen Horatio? I just searched this place and he's MIA," Frank inquires and her mind picks up speed, racing once again. _Horatio is still not back?_

"No," she answers, turning to him with a frown. "I thought he was with you? Eric said Horatio, he took a call and then clerk said he just dashed off but hasn't been heard from yet. We thought you were together."

"Nope haven't seen him. Maybe he went to see the brass and give them an update. I just need him to answer his damn phone. We might have a lead on our big-rig-slicer-and-dicer and I need to discuss something with him."

"What is the lead?" Calleigh wonders. "Everything we searched today was a dead end, literally."

"Well, the plates don't match but a truck that fits the description of a missing big rig was spotted near the turn off to the old everglade highway. A couple of my boys are going to check it out right now; so maybe he'll get lucky and this bastard will be stopped once and for all."

"Need some help?"

"Nah we got this," Frank huffs. "Just if you see Horatio lurking around here, tell him to call me."

"If I see him," she remarks absently. "We might not see each other until the morning unless it's urgent."

"I heard some of the...well the _argument_," Frank chooses his words carefully. Since he had caught them in a romantic embrace a month ago he had suspected a relationship growing between them. But knew it wasn't his place to pry or poke fingers. Still he had to mention something this time:. "And I'm sure he's just blowing off a little steam someplace; probably preparing to waltz back in with all the answers," Frank finishes on a lighter tone, forcing her face to somewhat soften, "Probably even dragging that creep behind him. I'll call you if I hear anything further."

She gives her friend a nod goodbye and then looks at the clock, an worrying sensation still rumbling in the pit of her stomach. _'Don't expect me to nurse you if you get hurt by one of them...' _she had tossed at him when he had thrown at her that she was merely a woman and shouldn't have gone off after the truckers alone. They were both wrong but now she wonders if she'll come to regret her callous words; spoken in a true fit of heated anger and regretted the second they were uttered.

_'Horatio took a call...rushed out without telling anyone.'_

"And he got after us for just wanting to rush off alone," she mutters with a slight hiss in her tone; her thoughts now switching from those of panic to frustration and anger. "How dare he lecture me and then turn around and do the exact thing he said we shouldn't!"

She feels her fists clench, her fingers once again hovering over the phone, wanting to pick it up and just offer him a small tongue lashing as a reward for the mental stress he's putting her through right now with his cavalier actions and attitude toward his own well being. But she figures that would just cause tempers to flare further and them to grow further apart.

"I'm sure it's nothing," she tries to convince herself as she wanders back to her desk, sits down, and attempts to keep herself busy with paperwork, the minutes ticking slowly past, the sun already set. She looks out the window and frowns once more before she reaches for the phone; her worried brain, prompting her to make the call before she can place the phone back on its cradle. Her excuse for calling him would be to ask if he was coming back for the meeting or if they should all just call it a night.

"Just go easy," she reminds herself. "You can make him grovel in person later."

She finishes the sentence with a slight smirk, her brain already thinking of a creative way to punish him for the silent grief he was forcing her to endure in his absence. She leans back in her chair and looks at a small picture of them; taken at a team function a few months back. Finally, a small smile starts to play upon her lips as she remembers the evening ending with a kiss; the lead up to them finally admitting to want to take the next step beyond the boundaries of friendship.

The few weeks that followed and before this case had started, they would finish the day in either of their homes, making dinner together and then just enjoying their time alone, away from work. But after the case really started they had spent the nights alone, often working long hours; trying to stop one man's murderous rampage and putting their own futures on hold. Each telling themselves they had time, and that when this case was closed both would be here to continue where they left off.

"Horatio," she allows his name to slip from her tongue, her brain and her heart finally urging her fingers to complete the task of giving him a call.

Calleigh dials Horatio's number but just gets a blank, dead tone in return; not a busy signal, and nothing saying it wasn't in service. He simply wasn't there.

"What is going on?" Calleigh mumbles to herself as she tries his number again. "Horatio? Hello?"

Again nothing.

"He's not just be ignoring me, is he?" She asks herself with a frown as the sick tingling inside her starts to intensify.

_'You can't go off alone...take Eric with you.'_

_'Will you do the same? Do the same...the same...'_

She finally hangs up and leans back in her chair, a slight frown starting to furrow her brows. "Okay, something is up," she admits, sighing heavily as she casts her glance over at the clock.

She slowly places the phone back in its place and picks up another small picture of the two of them, this one taken in one a corny photo booth on the boardwalk three weeks back; his mouth on her cheek and her smile from ear to ear. A shadow of sad melancholy starts to creep over her as she continues to stare at the picture, her brain scolding her heart for not just forcing him into a corner, kissing him until he wasn't able to think straight, and telling him how she really felt before he acted on the urge to go off half cocked, alone and feeling the need to prove himself to the world around him, as he usually did. Was this the day his lone wolf actions would do him in?

She looks at the clock once more; her anxiety beginning to grow as she reaches for the phone again; another round of dead tones in her ear, seeming to buzz with despair.

"Horatio where are you?" She frantically whispers as panic starts to build as she sees Frank heading towards her with a strained look, each step that he takes toward her, causing her world to get smaller and smaller. She can tell by the look on his face that something bad has happened.

"Oh no..._Horatio," _his name dies in her throat.

* * *

**A/N:** Feedback would be most appreciated and thank you in advance for reading!


	3. Closer to Despair?

**Title: A Near Fatal Mistake  
****Chapter 3 - Closer to Despair?**

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far and to Arlene & SJ. You two don't have an account so I can't thank you with a proper reply but am glad you are all enjoying the story so far.

* * *

Horatio's mind continues to swim with dizzying pain as he tries to shift his body once more, mindful of the cut on his chest; the wound on his shoulder throbbing once more as he moves, causing the fabric from the dress shirt to chafe the open cut, his lips offering another muffled curse beneath the tape before his head angrily slumps back onto the musty blanket, the spot now damp from his sweat.

_Calleigh, _his mind calls; trying to push past the pain his evil captor has inflicted, his mind always reminding him of what Carl Wheeler has done to his victims before they were eventually found; sliced open, tormented slowly, and then killed in a most merciless manner. Over the past few weeks, he was frequently reminded of what Carl Wheeler was capable of; both by Frank and his team. His discussions with Calleigh, however, were always the ones that stung the most, with her he had the most to lose by being so passive about the real dangers. Those thoughts were now coming back to haunt him.

_'Do you know what Carl Wheeler is capable of?' Calleigh queried._

_'Calleigh, Carl Wheeler is nothing but a...'_

_'You might think him coward Horatio, but he has no fear and you know perhaps better than I do that a man with no fear has nothing to lose. He won't bend to our rules and before we have him figured out, he'll have killed again! Maybe one of us.'_

_'I won't ever allow him to tear apart my team,' Horatio brazenly stated. _

_'Then you better keep yourself in check also.'_

_'What does that mean?' He asked gruffly._

_'Just practice what you preach Horatio.'_

His face offers a small wince, one of pain and one of mental remorse. Of course she was right, but in the heat of the moment, his stubbornness refused to allow him to acknowledge that her concern wasn't based on principle alone, she cared about him and was trying to tell him so. She just wasn't able to offer him the heartfelt confession she wanted with Rick and Eric hovering just outside the door.

A bump in the road snaps his mind back to his tormented reality. He doesn't know what time it is, but surmises that his team must be alerted to his absence by now. Surely they would start to trace the GPS or even his phone. _'I disabled the GPS...' _Wheeler's voice rings in his muddled brain and his heart sinks. He could be anywhere by now and unless destiny intervened he didn't see a way out on his own.

The truck starts to slow once again, but not coming to a complete halt. Instead the music dies and the compartment hatch opens; allowing Horatio to finally take in some semblance of fresh air; anything to distract his mind from the haunting smell of death that he was entombed with for the past few hours.

"You still awake back there?" Wheeler snides as he turns and glances back at Horatio's pitiful captive state.

Horatio glares at him, mumbling garbled words into the tape, his face offering strained winces at any slight movement from his body or jarring motion from the moving truck. A few damp red stands remain plastered to his forehead, still coated with blood, dirt and sweat.

"Sorry Caine, I'm tired of hearing your lies," Wheeler chuckles. "Besides you sound more pathetic this way, just like the others."

_Damn bastard! _Horatio's mind curses in futility; his wrists continually trying in vain to find any kind of movement from the harsh plastic still keeping them tightly restrained behind his back. He knows he simply cannot just lie here and accept his deathly defeat. He wasn't a quitter, even in the face of terrible odds, he never gave in and wasn't about to start now.

"Want to know the reason," Wheeler goads as he glances back at Horatio once more; greedily eyeing his handi-work, the crimson sludge still smeared across Horatio's lightly tanned chest from the movement of his body and ripped dress shirt. "You know the reason why I choose the ones I did? Well the reason might be kinda stupid to you but it was something that started way back when when I was a kid. It was just me and my dad together...our first. You know it was a real father-son bonding moment," Wheeler's wicked laughter starts to fill the musty cabin of the truck.

_When he was a kid? What the hell? Who is this guy?_

"There was this guy come around back home, you know back in Arkansas," Wheeler blabbers on; not caring what he's confessing, his mind thinking that Horatio will be like the rest, taking his secrets to the grave. "He was some handy man or so he claimed. Well he tried to pull a fast one on my daddy but damn my father, may the rotten bastard rot in hell," he chuckles once more. "Well he hit that guy over the head and then pulled out the knife he had just used to carve the cattle and he went to town. Damn bastard was still alive when daddy started slicing. Next thing I know he shoves the knife in my hand and yeah...that was it. After that, anyone that got in my way...well I guess by now I'm a bit of an expert!"

A kid? If that was the case then how far back did Carl Wheeler's murderous rampage actually extend? They only looked back at the deaths in Philly because they weren't told to dig deeper. But if they did, would they have seen just how wicked and deadly a monster Carl Wheeler really is? Why didn't the office in Philly dig deeper? Who really was Carl Wheeler? Was that even his real name?

"Yeah lost count over the years," Carl's voice continues to prattle aimlessly away. "Some worse than others."

_Over the years, _the tormented words dance in his brain. _Oh god what have we done?_

Horatio closes his eyes, his mind instantly hearing the blood curdling screams of the victims past and begging that he won't have to endure the same fate. But if this is to be his last night on earth, he prays his heart will give way before he'll have to experience any of the terror that his evil captor is promising.

"Them last two over the past few weeks...well they tried to talk to me like I was some dumb ass trucker; same expression you used Caine. I mean you...well you haven't really tried to pull a fast one on me, but with you gone I can have some peace of mind you know."

_With me gone they'll double their efforts you ass! _Horatio yells in vain.

"Yeah that's why the tape stays on Caine, you can't try to talk me out of this. I have evaded most everyone so far and unlike your friends, mine are willing to play my game," Wheeler's voice turns gruff.

_My friends are looking for you right now!_

"And when I dump your body, I merely lose my load at some truck stop and move on out of the state," Wheeler admits in a serious tone.

_The roads are blocked! _Horatio's mind keeps offering replies, hoping to keep him alert and focused, not wanting his body to yield to the pain.

"By the time they clue in where I have gotten to or find your rotting corpse I'll be long gone. In that case you should pray that no one else pisses me off. Course if they do, you won't know until you are all swapping stories in hell!" Wheeler finishes with an evil cackle.

Horatio closes his eyes, slightly shaking his head, his eye lashes heavily laden with dirt and tears, the right side of his face still warm from the blood that seeped from his head wound. This man was unstable. For weeks they had tried to look for a specific pattern. Who were his victims? What did they have in common? How were they all connected to the killer? They had seemed random but he had told his team, convinced them that there was a pattern and they weren't seeing it.

The pattern was whoever had gotten on his bad side paid the price. He was evil and vicious, without conscience or remorse, and didn't care at all about the innocent lives he destroyed without cause or merit. So anyone his mind perceived that personally wronged him; paid the ultimate price. That's why he was so elusive; the men were just ordinary citizens, no one that people would really miss until it was too late. And no one could predict when the right person would set Carl Wheeler off at the wrong time.

_Calleigh you have to help me, _his mind calls again. The truck hits a small snag in the road and Horatio's eyes quickly snap open as his body winces in agony from the jarring motion and the pain once again courses through his veins. He squints outside but seeing no lights of any kind his mind now wonders where they are? Obviously away from civilization. But where? His team knows this man likes to dump the bodies in lonely, unpopulated areas. Surely they would have this area monitored also. Wouldn't they?

_Come on Frank you have to have this place monitored, _his mind falsely reasons.

He feels his stomach starting to churn once more, as the truck hits a large bump and a freshly scabbed piece of skin rubs open and warm sludge starts to slowly trickle toward his belly button. Quickly swallowing back rising bile he tries to tell himself that he'll be found and this will be the last of his torment. His fingers once again try to find any kind of give under the unforgiving plastic; anything that would allow him to use as leverage to garner his freedom. But after a few moments of the hard edging biting further into his skin, his fingers rest and his lips curse his pitiful state once more.

"Well hope you're not too comfortable back there," Wheeler laughs as he looks at Horatio's trapped form with a slight sneer. "Yeah you don't look too comfortable. Well don't you worry; I am going to remedy that very soon."

_Oh god...please help__ me! _His mind yells in terror. _HELP ME! _

But as the big rig veers to the right; nearing what he fears will be his final resting place, his heart rate quickens and his mind reminds him that prayers for miraculous rescues are rarely answered.

_Calleigh!_

XXXXXXXX

_Oh god, something's happened to Horatio._

Calleigh's mind swims with rising panic, her body quickly standing upright just as Frank reaches the door to her small office.

"Am afraid to ask, but have you heard from him?"

"Not a peep," Frank replies with a heavy sigh. "Eric's getting one of your lab geeks to track his phone and the Hummer's GPS."

"Think he's found this guy Frank?"

"Would be my guess," Frank sighs as he steps up a bit closer, Calleigh feeling her stomach tighten further. "But more likely, he's probably just out of range or somethin'. I'm sure he's fine."

"Do you really believe that Frank?" She asks pointedly.

Frank shakes his head and mutters a soft curse. "Damn bastard better not have done anything he'll regret."

"Who Horatio or this Carl Wheeler?" She dares to ask.

"Either, both," Frank gently shrugs. "One of these days Horatio's gotta start listening to his own lectures."

"Don't even go there," Calleigh sighs, her arms folding in front of her chest, mostly to keep them from shaking.

"How are you holdin' up?" Frank inquires with a softer tone.

"I am sick to my stomach. Have had this odd feeling for the past few hours. I um...thought it was lunch but..." she pauses, quickly swallowing back rising misery and pasting on a fake, tight smile. "I'm worried."

"Well when he does get back here in once piece we can both tie him to a chair and then take turns lecturing him about his manners," Frank mentions with a slight smirk.

"I'll agree to that," Calleigh answers, trying to see some humor in his words but feeling her very core hear up further at the sickening reality that she's already said all she can to him; their last moments on earth spent together in heated torment instead of blissful intimacy.

A few moments of thick silence start to develop, neither of them wanting to broach the subject that Horatio right now might be in the hands of the sadistic killer and they'll be saying goodbye instead of hello in a few hours; finding his body as the next bloody crime scene.

"So I um...well I think I'll go and check on Eric and that geek, you wanna join us?"

"I'll be right there," she softly assures him. "Just give me a moment to...check something."

Frank gives her a firm nod before he turns and leaves, Calleigh finally able to allow a single tear to escape before she quickly dials Horatio's number once more.

"Please pick up," she begs in sorrow. "I need you to pick up, I need you to be okay. Just pick up and tell us that you are somewhere just blowing off steam...or are mad at me...or whatever," she just talks aimlessly as the phone rewards her with nothing, refusing to cooperate; handing her only a dead rings in return for her constant efforts, her heart now painfully thudding in her chest and her mind trying to push away grisly images of her beloved Horatio as their next victim.

"Horatio I love you," she confesses in a soft whisper. "Where are you?"

"Calleigh?" Frank's anxious voice draws her attention to him. "Got a copy of that call that Horatio took and the number where it came from. Plus we got a lead on his Hummer. You better come with me."

"And?"

"And it's not good."

"Tell me Frank, what is going on? Where is Horatio?"

"He's in big trouble."

XXXXXXXX

Horatio's feet once again start to kick at the side of the sleeper cabin; something anything to try to alert anyone outside that he was inside and fighting for his very life.

"Damn you still got some fight left to ya? See the others...well they just accepted their fate..."

_I'll never bend to you!_

"No one around Caine," Wheeler announces as he brings the large truck to a stop in the dark and deserted area. He pushes the cabin hatch all the way open, flips on the inner cabin light and then pulls out a small camera. "Smile for daddy," he laughs as he takes a couple of pictures of Horatio's captive state and then tosses the small electronic device to the side.

"Now we are really going to have some fun," Wheeler smiles as his hand slowly reaches for the knife and Horatio's eyes widen once more as the instrument of death is set before his face; taunting his helpless and lightly writhing frame.

"Ready?"

XXXXXXXX

_"How much further?"_

_"There is a great spot just up a few more yards, trust me no one knows where this place is. It'll just be the two of us and the wide open sky."_

_The two stray figures finally reach the top of the hill and pause; dark shadows against the inky sky; no one alerted to their presence. However, both look down and see an item that is very much out of place against the darkened landscape. An item the owner never guessed would be discovered._

_"Thought you said this place was deserted? What is that?"_

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**A/N: **okay so hope you still have some nails left! And yes this story will have fluffy moments, we are building to that. But who do you think is out there and will they be friends or foes for our trapped hero? And for those of you that have alerted but have not reviewed, would love some feedback so please don't be shy and come out of the lurking shadows! Thank you to everyone in advance; more to come so stay tuned!


	4. Rescue from Hell

**Title: A Near Fatal Mistake  
****Chapter 4 - Rescue from Hell**

**A/N:** I do appreciate those that have stuck with this story so far. Just a couple of **longer** chappies to wrap this adventure up. So thank you again in advance and hope you like it.

* * *

"So H's phone is not going to help us. Obviously Wheeler destroyed it and he also disabled the GPS," Eric continues to explain.

"We managed to track the Hummer's GPS down route 1," Frank reads the paper in his hands.

"The road to the Keys?" Natalia inquires.

"Yeah but then the GPS has H turning onto route 41."

"The Tamiami trail?" Calleigh wonders.

"And that's where his trail ends," Frank's voice ends with a heavy sigh. "I just dispatched two teams out there but it's dark and that's a lot of open space to cover."

"Yeah but how easy is it to take a big rig off road?" Ryan quips.

"Unless he had help," Frank huffs.

"He could have easily paid off one of his crooked trucker buddies for any backwoods secrets," Eric ponders.

"Where's Horatio's hummer?" Calleigh asks.

"Am heading to get that now," Frank informs Calleigh.

"I'm coming with you."

Frank looks at Calleigh and knows it's pointless to argue so only nods his head in agreement and then motions to Eric to stay by the radio in case a solid lead on Horatio's whereabouts came in and they needed to act fast.

"Thank you for not saying no," Calleigh tells Frank as they hurry outside toward his police cruiser.

"Figured if you didn't come, you'd be on the phone every five minutes askin' me what's goin' on," Frank smirks, tossing Calleigh a sympathetic glance as they reach the car. Just before they get in Frank's expression turns serious.

"I can't just sit by and wait, you know that."

"I know but..."

"But what?"

"Let's go," Frank states as they get in the car.

"What is it Frank? What aren't you telling me?"

"Ryan um...he ran the voice from the call Horatio got against an early voice recording that we have from Philly and it uh...well it's an exact match to Carl Wheeler."

"He called Horatio directly?" Calleigh wonders in dread. "How come...why didn't Horatio know that?"

"We didn't have a recent voice recording from Wheeler," Frank explains. "The one from Philly was a few years old and no one lived to tell us what he sounded like. Plus he never called anyone before."

"Horatio..."

"He'll survive Calleigh. He's going to be okay. We will find him in time."

"He set a trap for him," Calleigh grits her teeth and feels her fists tightly clench at her sides. "Damn bastard better pray you find him first."

"Why?"

"Because I don't think I'd hesitate to pull the trigger."

"What makes you think I wouldn't?" Frank counters, prompting Calleigh to look at him and offer a small frown. Calleigh turns her gaze back out the window, her green eyes starting to mist as she stares into the night around them. The ride for the most part is spent in tormented silence. A few snippets offered about the case but no one yet suspecting that Carl Wheeler's file wasn't the complete picture they thought it was. They finally reach the location the Hummer was last recorded and both of them stare at the sigh before them mouths agape.

"Calleigh!"

"Oh no," her voice dies as they stare at the smashed wreck before them.

"What the hell happened here?" Frank asks in dread.

"Where is Horatio?" Calleigh whispers as a single tear escapes her emerald orbs and slowly slides down her cheek.

XXXXXXXX

Sweat soaks his back, his dress shirt pasted to any part of his body that Wheeler hasn't offered the knife to, head damp, wrists chaffed and heart about to give way. But his willpower refuses to give in or give up; his mind constantly reminding him that Calleigh would never give up; his team would never rest until he was found and back with them.

_Can't give in...Calleigh..._his mind would chant over and over again.

"You're still alive Caine," Wheeler's voice almost resounds with remorse as he leans back in his chair; Horatio's chest heaving for oxygen, his nose just not providing enough to allow his body to stop is shaking.

_I'll never bend to you, you bastard! _Horatio's mind offers as he raises his watery blue eyes and tries to narrow them.

"Yeah I don't have to ask to know what you're thinking Caine. But I've heard it all before. You want to beg me for mercy?"

NO! Horatio lightly shakes his head in defiance and Wheeler leans in closer, putting his fingers under Horatio's chin and forcing his head upright.

"You might not offer the words, but your eyes are begging for your worthless life."

_Go to hell! _Horatio jerks his head away, slumping it back down onto the damp surface, small beads of blood and sweat slowly seeping down the side of his face, sliding past the tape over his mouth and then landing in a small puddle below his chin.

"Well by now your team has probably found your Hummer and then it won't be long so I know you hate to leave me but I do gotta run. It's been fun Caine, but time to put you out of my misery," Wheeler smiles as he reaches for a handful of Horatio's rumpled black suit jacket.

He gives it a tug, jerking Horatio's throbbing frame forward, forcing Horatio to scream out in pain as the cuts open further; his captor showing no remorse as they scrape the fabric and then the sides of the seat before Wheeler finally manages to get him out of the sleeper cabin, passed the drivers seat, merely depositing his aching body onto the cold dessert-like ground.

"No around but us Caine," Wheeler smiles down at Horatio's lightly struggling frame.

Horatio's eyes try to scan the area; his brain trying to register the landscape around him that he now fears will be his final resting place. He looks up at Wheeler who continues to watch with a smug smile before he bends down, a new knife now clutched between his fingers. The autopsies had proved that Wheeler used one knife to make the cuts but a different one to make the death blow. Those painful realities were suddenly starting to suffocate him with the sickening truth that he was going to die alone and helpless, unable to tell Calleigh he loves her, unable to see Kyle one last time, unable to right any wrongs that were still outstanding. Help, he tells himself is not coming. It really is over.

"Make your peace with God, Caine, your time is up," Wheeler growls as he grabs Horatio's suit jacket collar and starts to drag him away from the truck.

XXXXXXXX

"Can you see anything?"

"Not yet; they're still in the truck."

"Give me those binoculars. Probably some trucker wanting to have sex with his wife. Bruce!"

"Jackie, calm down will you?"

"You just want to see the action yourself. How old are you?" Jackie just shakes her head.

"There is nothing...oh wait, I see them...it'soh damn its two men."

"I am not going to sit here while two men..."

"Bet we could give them a run...oh damn."

"What is it Bruce?" His wife asks in wonder as she notices her husband's facial expression change.

"One guy is dragging the other and...ah okay we got some kink going on. His hands are tied behind...ohh gagged to and..."

"Will you give them their privacy!" Jackie hisses as she snatches the binoculars away from her husband.

"Not getting any ideas?" Bruce teases.

"No."

"Fine," Bruce grumbles as he holds out his hand. "I'll put them back."

Jackie hands the optical device back to her husband and then turns to leave. But when she turns back she sees that he's started to focus on the two figures in the distance. "Give them..."

"Oh god Jackie," Bruce curses as he looks at her in dread. "The one gu...ythe tied up one...he's got his um...his chest cut and he's...oh god he's bleeding badly and..."

"That serial killer that's been on the news. The guy who drives the big rigs and then carved up those men. Damn it Bruce what have we done?"

"Call 9-11," Bruce instructs before he starts to dig into his knapsack. "Damn it, I left my gun in the Jeep."

"Bruce you are not..."

"Did you call them?" He asks impatiently.

"I called Greg, he's on duty tonight and will get here faster."

"What do we do now?"

"We have to stop him from killing that guy."

"Are you serious? How?"

"I um..." he pauses. "Okay, I got an idea. You with me?"

"Well I am not letting you face that creep alone," Jackie assures him with a shaky tone. "Just promise me the boys will have two parents coming home tonight."

"I give you my word. But we gotta help that guy and we gotta act fast. We can't let him die. Here's my plan."

XXXXXXXX

"Found Horatio's wallet, ID and gun," Frank calls out to Calleigh as he hurries back toward the Hummer. "Looks like Wheeler took them out a ways and set his personal stuff on fire."

"The inside is completely smashed," Calleigh moans as she spies fresh blood droplets on the seat. "Oh Horatio, you better be alive when I find you...just please hold on."

"Anything he left behind?"

"Not that I can see out her in the dark," she grumbles as her flashlight bounces around inside the empty Hummer, the light beams refracting off the tiny shards of glass in every direction. "Tow truck is on its way. Where could they have gone Frank? Where did he take Horatio?"

"Just waiting on..."

"Horatio is running out of time!" She snaps as she casts her eyes into the darkness around them, squinting at the city lights in the distance and feeling her heart starting to race painfully fast. "What if we don't make it in time?"

"We have to," Frank tries to assure her. But as Calleigh turns around to face him, she glimpses the uncertainty in his stare and knows he's feeling the same as her time is not on their side and they might never find their friend alive.

_Horatio, hold on...please hold on._

But just before she can offer another word, she hears his voice calling to her and a small burst of pain reverberates through her body; forcing her lips to painfully gasp.

"What's wrong?" Frank asks in haste.

"Horatio."

XXXXXXXX

Horatio's mind continues to tell his body to struggle, ignore the searing painful throbbing and do anything to stall for time. But each time he'd try to pull himself out of Wheeler's grasp, the large man's hand would just gather more fabric beneath his thick fingers and continue dragging him away from the 18-wheeler.

_HELP ME_! He tries to yell, his throat raw and chest raw and dry from yelling, his stomach on fire and his mind flashing images of those he'll miss and might never see again.

They finally reach a small clearing and Wheeler lets Horatio's body fall to the ground at his feet, his cheek hitting the dirt and his mind offering another desperate prayer.

Wheeler pulls out the knife and then looms over Horatio's frame for what he figures will be the very last time. "You know what I love most about what I do?" Wheeler taunts. "Reading the reactions from the families or whoever when the corpse is found. Can't wait to read what your team writes about you. Too bad you ain't got no wife or family," Wheeler laughs, "might be a bit more boring than the others."

Wheeler pulls the knife and kneels down, his fingers pulling away a shredded piece of fabric and greedily eyeing the spot he left in tact; the area around his lungs.

Horatio's eyes watch the blade, his body not caring about the pain as he tries to roll away, not wanting the knife to be plunged into his lungs; offering him a slow painful death alone.

"Where you goin' Caine?" Wheeler smirks as he quickly yanks Horatio back to him. "Time to..." he starts and then stops, his ears picking up a faint sound in the distance. "Looks like them c'yotes are already pickin' up your scent. Well guess your death won't be as slow as the others."

One hand keeps a hold on Horatio's taut forearm while the other holds on tightly to the knife. He offers Horatio a wink. "Say hello to my father for me."

Horatio blinks away a few last muddy tears, his crystal orbs fixed on the fresh steel blade as it slowly glides through the air toward him.

The two figures that have now moved closer, exchange looks of terror as the one man fixes to kill the other.

But just as Wheeler is about to deliver Horatio his death blow, another coyote call is heard along with a breaking branch. For a split second Wheeler's hand veers off course, plunging the knife into Horatio's chest, but thankfully missing its intended target.

Horatio's chest starts to heave as he feels the knife enter, his throat raw but his brain telling him to play dead as soon as possible and just get Wheeler to leave. He tries to pretend he's gasping for air, thankful that the bloody marks on his chest are hiding the spot that Wheeler pegged earlier; the darkness also hindering his eyesight.

"See you in hell Caine," Wheeler growls as he pushes Horatio onto his back, offering one last twisted smile as he watches Horatio's struggling starting to slow. But as he hears more low rumbling noises he figures it's time to leave; also remembering that unlike the others, Caine would have an army out looking for him right now.

Through half closed watery lashes, Horatio watches as Wheeler turns and slowly saunters back toward his truck; his stomach tightening as the big rig roars to life; finally pulling past him and spraying him with dust, one last cruel gesture. However, as soon as he hears the big rig die, Horatio's eyes snap open and he starts to frantically survey the area before him, his ears straining for where he heard the sounds earlier.

But a sharp pain in his chest from where the knife is embedded, instantly reminds him that he's in serious trouble and needs medical attention and fast. This time his prayer would be answered. He knows the knife must have at least punctured part of his lung because a few seconds later his breathing starts to become erratic and his plan for playing dead might actually turn into a real situation.

He tries to get himself back onto his side, another bout of pain sharply telling him to stay put, his hands could take the abuse, his chest needed to remain as it was. His body starts to shake and he knows he's going into shock, the cold just adding taunting laughter to his helpless plight and his mind running out of life-giving willpower.

_Calleigh..._his mind calls in misery. Then, just when he thought all hope was lost, his ears pick up the sounds of humans coming toward him.

"Bruce make sure that truck is gone."

"It's gone. Hey!" Bruce calls out as he rushes up to Horatio's side. "Hey can you hear us?" Bruce asks in haste as he quickly drops to his knees at Horatio's side. "Oh my.."

"Oh my god, Bruce...look at him." Jackie laments in horror as she drops to her knees on the other side of her husband. She starts to carefully peel away the tape from Horatio's mouth, tossing it to the side and then looking at the wound on his head.

"Help is on the way. My name is Bruce Jennings and his is my wife Jackie, we are going to help you, but you gotta stay with me okay?"

"Cal..."

"Yeah we called the air ambulance, it should be here shortly. Okay now," Bruce pauses as he looks at the knife in Horatio's chest and then back up at Jackie. "If I pull that out, his lungs could collapse and he could die right now."

"His hands are tied with some kind of plastic. I can't get them free," Jackie frowns as she pulls her hand out from under Horatio's lightly convulsing frame. "What do we do? We can't turn him over, it might do more damage."

"Clean the wound on his head and I'll try to...damn he's lost a lot of blood or so...some of these could just be superficial cuts but..." Bruce's voice rattles away. "We need to keep him at least warm," Bruce notes as he pulls off his jacket and tries to cover Horatio's trembling frame.

"Calle..." Horatio tries again in a hoarse whisper.

"We called the medics, please just stay with me a bit longer okay? You are safe now. Jackie can you find any ID?"

"Nothing."

"What's your name? buddy stay with me...stay...damn it! He's going into an arrest!"

"Bruce! You can't do CPR with that knife in his chestwhat do we do? We need help and fast!"

"I think..." Bruce starts only to be stopped mid sentence as both of them are quickly bathed in harsh lighting.

"Down here!" Bruce waves to the air medic that is now thankfully hovering above them. He and Jackie try to shield Horatio's body from the swirling wind as the air medic helicopter touches down a few yards away.

"Hurry!" Jackie shouts as she stands up and watches them approach. "Greg! He's been cut and stabbed, we think in the lungs but..."

"Okay we got this," the voice of senior search and rescue air medic Greg Richards calls out. "Ted!"

Both Jackie and Bruce quickly step back, held in time as helpless onlookers as the small group of medics works to save the life of the man before them. Horatio's body finally stops its convulsing, but then much to their horror goes completely limp.

"We are out of time! Guys we gotta move! We'll work on him mid-flight!" Greg's voice bellows to his team as they very carefully hoist Horatio into the air, one of them cutting his wrists free while the other two slowly lower him onto the transport stretcher and then rush toward the helicopter.

"I'll get the Jeep and meet you at the hospital."

"Bruce."

"Jackie go with your brother, I'll be okay. I'll see you soon, I love you. Just take care of him."

"I will. I love you too. Be careful," she kisses him on the cheek before rushing after her brother, jumping into the side of the helicopter before it's lifted into the air. She watches Bruce rushing back for the Jeep and then switches her gaze into the darkness, searching for any sign of the big rig but cursing when she sees nothing. The sadistic killer could be anywhere by now.

"What's his name?" Greg asks Jackie, forcing her gaze back to his.

"We didn't find any ID," she answers as she watches Greg fit an oxygen mask over Horatio's mouth and nose.

"We'll list him as John Doe until he wakes."

"Will he?" Jackie asks as she watches Greg trying to work on the knife wound in his chest; the other medic tending to the cuts on Horatio's chest.

"He's in Gods hands now," Greg sighs as he looks down at the unconscious man before him. "Just hope we can get an ID; I'm sure his family is probably worried."

XXXXXXXX

"Right thanks!" Frank answers in haste as he looks over at Calleigh with a heavy frown.

"What?"

"Eric just got a frantic 9-11 call about a man with red hair, dressed in a suit, that was being attacked by a man that pulled him from a semi-trailer."

"Horatio! Where is he?"

"Looks like a deserted park just off Alligator Alley. The connector route between Naples and Fort Lauderdale."

"That's just off route 75. Frank..."

"My boys are on it. If he's trying to run outta state they'll get him."

"Oh my go..." Calleigh's voice catches in her throat. "Did the caller um..."

"Said he was tied up and was bleeding badly."

"Oh no," she turns away as her eyes water.

"Sorry," Frank offers softly, his own stomach tight at the thought of his best friend slowly bleeding to death. "But he was found right?"

"The caller..."

"Was a woman but didn't say much else. Then the line went dead."

"Dead? Do you think Wheeler might have found her?" Calleigh queries in dread.

"Could be the area. It's amazing she actually cell service out there. It won't be too long before we're there," Frank informs her and then pauses. "Alligator Alley, what were people even doing out there at night?"

"To be honest I don't care as long as they found Horatio before he's...just hurry Frank."

XXXXXXXX

"Tell Bruce we're taking him to Physicians Regional, its closer and I've already called Ian. He's got his team prepped and ready."

"He still hasn't woken up yet," Jackie frowns as she looks down at Horatio's placid expression.

"It's better if he doesn't right now," Greg huffs as he rubs his damp brow. He looks back down at the knife wound, the knife packed but still in Horatio's chest. "There is nothing more I can do."

The medical helicopter finally touches down and Greg Richards, along with his search and rescue medic partner, Ted and then Jackie rush toward senior trauma surgeon Ian McShane; the older man ready waiting to accept his critical patient.

Jackie watches Greg and Ted rush after Ian and she follows in behind, heading for the waiting area to wait for her husband. A few minutes later she's joined by one of Ian's nurses.

"Hey Sarah."

"Jackie, what can you tell me about him?"

"I don't know. I mean on the way over, one of the guys called missing persons but this guy didn't match any description. He had no ID and we didn't get a chance to ask his name. Is he going to live?" She asks weakly.

"Ian's the best you know that. He saved Charlie from that gunshot wound right?"

"He did. Thanks. If you need anything else I'll be here."

Jackie slumps down into a nearby chair, quickly pulling her phone and dialing home, telling her sister-in-law that they'll be a bit more delayed, Greg is with them and to tell the boys both her and Bruce love them. She hangs up and then stares in the direction of the ER.

"Mister, whoever you are I hope you pull through. There must be someone out there who loves you."

XXXXXXXX

From the moment they found the Hummer and all through the ride to where Horatio was allegedly seen; Calleigh's mind couldn't calm down. Her heart ached in her chest and her stomach tight. Her fists kept clenching and unclenching and all she kept hearing was Horatio's beloved voice calling to her for help and then being silenced by Wheeler's mocking laughter.

She remembers the smug tone in his voice as Wheeler placed the phony call that baited Horatio; a call she fears will be the final he ever takes. _Horatio, please hold on. _She silently begs as she feels her stomach tighten once more; the fear of his unknown fate forcing her brain to make up a million unanswerable scenarios ranging from his death to him walking out of wherever he is at her side. _He can't be dead...Horatio can't be dead..._she chants over and over again, willing her heart to listen so it will at least slow to a respectable rate.

The ride to the place they think Horatio was seen, seems to take an eternity to get there; Frank on the phone with various members of the team, giving them updates on whatever his MDPD team was giving him on the status of the blockades and such, anything to fill the space with chatter instead of allowing thick silence to build.

They finally arrive at the site, the once deserted area now teeming with various law enforcement officials.

"Frank Tripp, MDPD," Frank flashes his badge and then nods toward Calleigh. "We need to speak to whoever is in charge of this."

"That would be me," a voice calls, forcing both of them to look toward a man that could resemble Clint Eastwood. "And who are you?"

"Heard there was a potential sighting of the big rig killer out here."

"A bit out of your jurisdiction _Mr..."_

_"Detective _Frank Tripp and this is Calleigh Duquesne from the crime lab of..."

"Sheriff Wyatt Hopkins. Sorry but my team is on it. If they..."

"Please Sir, where is the man that brought here. I saw the blood," Calleigh pleads. "We think its Horatio Caine, the head of our crime lab."

"I know Caine," Hopkins frowns. "Well ma'am I am sorry but he's gone from here and so is the man we think brought him here. Now I know there were two bodies in your area so if you want our findings then..."

"I want to know where Horatio is!" Calleigh demands and then backs down.

"Right well," Hopkins huffs as he looks over toward a small clearing. "Search and rescue was here and they took a man that had no ID. Closest hospital for them would be Physicians Regional in Naples."

"I'll call Eric," Frank pulls his phone. "Your team better be prepared to play nice with ours."

"Is there an _or else_ to follow Detective Tripp?" Hopkins shoots back.

"There is and you don't want not know what it is. Yeah Eric it's me..."

Calleigh's eyes wander back to the area's that are marked off. The largest was that of the imprint from the truck itself and the smaller from where Horatio's body was discovered. She sees the plastic zip tie and duct tape that have been bagged and cringes, knowing those are the tools that killer used to keep Horatio restrained with. _He'd never go without a good fight, _she tells herself, knowing that would certainly get Horatio into further trouble with Wheeler.

"I'll kill you you bastard," Calleigh's whispered vow dances in the cool night air. "If you've..." her voice catches as she quickly swallows a lump and then dries her misting eyes.

Frank's fingers touch Calleigh's shoulder, forcing her to turn and offer a sad gaze. "The team is on their way and Wyatt Earp back there is actually going to wait for them to arrive. I just called the hospital and a man fitting Horatio's description was brought in and is in the ER in surgery."

"Let's go," she gives him a firm nod. "Unless you have to stay here?"

"Nah I trust these guys. They want Wheeler just as much as us," Frank finishes, drawing an arched brow from Calleigh as they head back toward his car. "Okay maybe not _as much_."

_If you get hurt don't expect me to nurse you..._her brain quickly recalls the false words she had tossed at him in a fit of heated anger. Words she regretted then but that were coming back to haunt her now. _If it is your man, he's in good hands. Ian McShane is one of the best. Heard though, that he lost a lot of blood and even coded a few times. Sorry not much else I know._

Hopkins gave them bleak details but then if he did survive, Horatio would have been the first so she could only imagine the condition they would find him in. _Horatio you have to be okay...please be okay, _her worried mind begs over and over as they near the city limits of Naples; the hospital their only intended destination.

Part of her wants to just march into that hospital room, give him a major lecture, kiss him hard and then leave and have a good cry where no one can witness her break down. But if he was in as bad a shape as they heard, she would have to be strong for both of them; she knew Horatio would be counting on her strength to help him survive.

They finally reach the Physicians Regional hospital center and rush into the ER area, spying Jackie and Bruce Ford in the waiting area but not really noting the significance of the people eyeing them suspiciously.

"Which room his Horatio Caine in?" Calleigh asks the desk clerk in haste, her frantic tone drawing exchanged glances from Jackie and Bruce before they stand up and slowly head toward them.

"I'm sorry ma'am there is no one admitted with that name. When did he come in?"

"About an hour ago," Frank adds.

"He'd be..."

"Hi there," Bruce pipes up. "Does Horatio Caine have red hair?"

"Yes he does. Do you know...wait did you call it in?"

"My wife did yes. He's with Dr. Ian McShane right now. He's the Trauma doctor. Your friend is in good hands," Bruce tells them with a frown as the nurse goes to tell the doctor the patient's ID and that people were here for him. "Sorry he had no ID on him," Bruce explains.

"When you found him..." Calleigh's voice dies in her throat as her eyes water. She feels Jackie's hands on her shoulders offering her a comforting squeeze.

"We tried to help as best we could," Jackie mentions softly, Calleigh only able to nod his head.

"What happened?" Frank inquires.

"Well Jackie and I went to a spot that..."

"_He _thought was deserted," Jackie interjects.

"We were going to do some night gazing."

"Night gazing?" Frank looks at him in suspicion, the married couple only returning sheepish nods. "Right, okay then what?"

"We get to the top of the hill and then see this truck at the bottom. Didn't know who it was but then we...well I looked through the binoculars and saw some guy..."

"We think it was the guy from the news," Jackie interrupts again.

"Well he was dragging your friend and...yeah your friend was tied up and in a pretty bad way. I hunt a lot so have a sound that draws out coyotes and so used that. Guess it spooked the killer but not before..."

"Before what?" Calleigh asks in dread.

"He stabbed him in the chest. It didn't kill him but...yeah he was in bad shape."

"Was he um...cut anywhere else?"

"Couldn't tell," Jackie huffs. "I'm so sorry. Are you close to him?"

"Yes," Calleigh nods numbly. "I care about him," she admits, knowing that Frank's friendship and discretion are already cemented and it wouldn't be gossip fodder for Stetler to worry about.

"Well I don't know what else we can do but if you need anything else we can help. Otherwise we have a family to get back to and it's already well into the night."

"Yeah can I get a statement before you go?" Frank asks softly.

"Sure," Bruce agrees as he walks a few feet away with Frank.

"Did Horatio say anything when you found him?"

"What's your name?" Jackie asks.

"Calleigh," she answers and then looks at Jackie in wonder. "What is it?"

"He said call twice but could have trying to say your name. You must care for him a lot."

"I love him," she humbly confesses. "He just...well I haven't told him yet."

"He'll pull through," Jackie tries to assure her. "And then you can tell him."

The four of them look up to see Dr. Ian McShane walking through the door with a frown and immediately Calleigh feels her heart rate skyrocket once more.

"Are you the family of Horatio Caine?"

"Is he..."

"He's successfully come through surgery."

"Can we see him?"

"Sure. Please come with me."

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks everyone for reading and hope you'll review before you leave.


	5. In the Shadows

**Title: A Near Fatal Mistake  
****Chapter 5 - In the Shadows **

* * *

Calleigh slowly walks into the small area of the trauma ward and feels herself gasp as she looks at Horatio's pale state. "Is he..."

"He's resting," Dr. McShane tells them. "Most of the cuts on his chest were superficial, but with his movement it just looked like he sustained a lot more blood loss than he did. The major surgery was to repair the lung that was punctured. The cuts will heal in a few weeks but he'll have the scar from the major cut. A few more scrapes and bruises. All in all he's very lucky to be alive from what I hear. He'll be on the oxygen mask until morning to give his lungs a chance to get air with help."

"Can I stay with him?"

"Sure, but just make sure he actually sleeps. We are going to monitor him for the next few hours and then move him to a private room to recuperate were he'll spend tomorrow as well. Then if all goes well he can just go home and rest."

"Rest," Tripp smirks. "Yeah that'll be the day. Thanks doc."

McShane leaves the room, allowing Calleigh to give Frank a small hug and then quietly pull a chair up to Horatio's bedside, carefully taking his hand in hers and adding some warmth to his cool touch. Her fingers feel the bandages wrapped around his chewed up wrists and her body shudders once more. Frank's hand rests on Calleigh's shoulder prompting her to look up in wonder.

"I'll tell the team. Are you um..."

"We'll be fine. I'm not leaving here until he does. But we need to catch this guy Frank."

"Yeah I have an idea about that," Frank frowns. "I know he's in good hands."

"Frank what you heard me say earlier..." Calleigh starts only to have Frank hold up his hand to stop her unnecessary apology.

"You mean _the truth_? Yeah kinda figured that," he smirks. "Your _secret _is safe with me. I'll call you with any news."

Calleigh watches Frank turn and leave and then looks back down to Horatio's placid expression. To help alleviate some of the pressure from his lungs, an oxygen mask was fitted over his face. Her fingers brush aside some stray auburn strands from the bandaged wound on his forehead, before she leans in and plants a soft kiss on his cool cheek.

"Thank you for staying alive Horatio," she whispers as her lips brush his ear. Her eyes water further when she doesn't get a response but then Dr. McShane said that he wasn't in a coma just sedated after his surgery to ensure his body got the rest it needed so that it could start to repair itself.

She didn't care how long it was going to be, when he woke up, she wanted to make sure, she was the first person he saw. Calleigh settles into the chair beside the bed, Horatio's hand still held firmly in hers and just watches him, unable to take her eyes away, telling herself that if she did she might wake up and find him gone for good. However, as a few more hours pass, she finds she's unable to keep her eyes open and finally allows sleep to overtake her.

_Horatio...Horatio come back to me..._his mind swims with pain, however the pain isn't like it was before. Instead of searing flashes coursing through his body, it was more an aching thud and a dull discomfort that was enveloping him. His mind flashes images of what he remembers last.

_Make your peace with God, Caine..._

_He's lost a lot of blood..._

_We're losing him..._

And just before he watches Carl Wheeler offer the fatal stab, his watery eyes snap open, his heart racing. His eyes fix on Calleigh's sleeping face but when he tries to call to her he finds he's unable and really starts to panic, instantly waking Calleigh and tangling himself in his IV tubing.

"Horatio, it's okay, it's me," Calleigh's voice tries to calm him. "You're safe and in the hospital. Please calm down," she strokes his face and tries to keep his hands from ripping the IV tubing out. "You have an oxygen mask on..." she slowly lifts it up so that he's able to take in a deep breath. But upon doing so, feels the pain in his chest and allows a small gasp to escape his lips.

"_Calleigh..._" Horatio croaks in a hoarse whisper as he finally starts to settle down.

"You need this."

"_No...need to..." _he starts and then coughs again, his eyes watering and face wincing as his lungs send a few more painful shoots to his brain.

"I won't argue," she remarks calmly. "For me?"

Knowing she's right, Horatio finally allows her to merely place his arms at his sides and then fix the mask over his mouth and nose, despite his small protests.

"You need the oxygen. You were stabbed in the lungs. Just for a few more hours, please?"

"_I need...to say..." _he utters as his fingers fumble with the mask.

"Please Horatio, I don't want them to sedate you again," she frowns and he finally settles once more. "You can say you're sorry after I read you the riot act," she shakes her head, her lips offering a soft smile. He nods his head and frowns. "But I won't say I told you so."

_"Just...did," _he manages.

"Thought I lost you," she gently whimpers as she leans in closer once more, her emerald eyes locking with his blue ones. Her fingers trace the mask and then hover over his eyes before she tries to close them. "Sleep now. In a few hours the mask can come off and you can tell me then."

Horatio finally feels the drugs pulling him back into the darkness and with Calleigh's hand still clutching his, he settles in his mind that her words were true, that he was safe and that he now needed to rest so that he could awaken, remove the damn mask and tell her how sorry he really is.

He looks over at her, her face offering a knowing smile, his frowning in return. _Tell me sorry later, _she had said lightly but knows he deserves more than a good mental ass kicking from her. She had told him that she wouldn't be there to nurse him, but as he sees that she's making no attempt at leaving, he finally realizes that she cares more than he wanted to acknowledge and curses himself for being so blind.

Calleigh had gotten a call from Frank, stating that their roadblocks were in place but still no sign of Carl Wheeler. He had wanted to put out the word that Horatio had died but then after a discussion with Hopkins and the team figured that if they could trick Carl Wheeler into thinking that Horatio was doing just fine and that he was now mocking his would be killer, that Wheeler's arrogant pride would force him to want to come back and try to get Horatio and finish off the one that he let get away.

So the next morning, when Horatio was awake, Frank said he'd be there to work with him on it. Calleigh then fielded a few more calls from the team before Dr. McShane came in once more. Horatio's vitals were holding but he would have to have the nutritional supplement IV tubing in for one more day because of his lungs and swallowing. Finally Calleigh allowed herself to be lulled into slumber once more.

To say his nightmares were tormented was an understatement and he knows that a good nights rest was still weeks away; at least for some semblance of mental peace. But each time he would awaken, he would see Calleigh asleep and just allow her to rest, relishing in the sight of her beautiful face, peacefully asleep, her delicate hand still surrounding his.

His lungs didn't hurt as much and thanks to the hydration IV, he had saliva and moisture and although he knows the doctor will tell him to just rest as much as possible, when he slowly lifted the oxygen mask off with his other hand, no alarm bells were raised. Finally Calleigh's emerald orbs opened and offered him a smile.

"You know you are just a trouble maker Horatio Caine," she gently scolds as she quickly helps him with the mask, slowly freeing it from his face. But just as she turns to put it away, his fingers grab hers and force her to look down in haste.

"Sorry," he frowns.

Calleigh quickly disposes of the mask and then settles back down, inches from his face so that he won't have to strain to talk to her.

"I really want to launch into the, _'what the hell were you thinking speech,' _but I'll save it for when I can really offer you some punishment."

"Might like that," he smirks and she just shakes her head.

"I don't doubt it," she huffs as her expression turns serious, her fingers playing with his face. "But how we parted...I mean you said...oh damn it Horatio why the hell didn't you listen to what you told us!" She blurts out and then looks at him with a frown. "Had to get that out. I want to call you a hypocrite but it seems you..."

"Learned my lesson?" He asks weakly and her heart sinks.

"I don't..."

"When I was in there...in the cabin...I cursed myself for being...so..."

"Stubborn?"

"Thank you."

"I think you've suffered enough," she mentions with a morose tone. "What I said...I mean how we parted..."

"You're...forgiven."

"Smart ass," she counters and his lips curl upward. She gazes upon him in silence, allowing the warmth from her body to transfer to his.

"Did you mean it...about not nursing me?"

"Hmm think you need it?"

"I'd like it," he warmly confesses.

"Think you'll be up for a little southern nursing?"

"Will you...dress the part?" He arches a brow and she playfully rolls her eyes.

"Maybe when we can both enjoy it," she promises and he nods before softly coughing. "Frank is coming by this morning and the whole team is pulling for you. I um...when I got the call from...I was scared Horatio. I mean really scared this time, especially knowing what Wheeler is and has done."

"Me too," he admits with wince. "What's Frank's...plan?"

"Well it had been to tie you to a chair and lecture the hell outta ya, but that plan is moot," Frank's voice is heard as he walks into the room, neither Horatio nor Calleigh making a pull to pull apart from their friend. "How are you?"

"Alive," Horatio replies. "I want this guy Frank...no matter..."

"The cost?" Frank huffs. "Yeah funny you can say that now. We have a plan that will hopefully draw out Carl Wheeler but it'll have to wait until you can stand on your own."

"You want to...bring him back?" Horatio wonders.

"I want you to taunt him in to bringing him back. Appeal to that bastard's ego and let him know that he failed and we won," Frank goes on. "We got some footage from the last truck stop he was at, where he dumped his phony load and paid off one of the workers to send us in the wrong direction. He told us the direction but we check all of them just in case and nothing. He's hiding right now and I want to bring him out."

"I'll do it," Horatio states firmly, not getting any arguments from Calleigh.

"So what's the plan for today?"

"The plan..." Dr. McShane pipes up as he comes up to join them, "is for Mr. Caine to get as much rest as possible. One more day here and then you can go home tomorrow. As I was telling Ms. Duquesne last night, your cuts will heal, save for the lung puncture which will leave a scar. A few cracked ribs, a nasty cut to the head, a few scrapes and bruises but otherwise pretty lucky. I want you on the nutritional supplement one more day so that your lungs can recover as best they can but tomorrow you can have soft food. Next week you should be okay for regular stuff. Just need to take it easy okay."

"Thanks," Horatio nods.

Frank and Calleigh talk about the team and further about the plan while Dr. McShane checks Horatio's stitches, the tubing and then leaves, promising to come back in a few hours to make sure all is on target. Frank leaves, ready to put their plan into motion, leaving Calleigh and Horatio alone in the small private room. While Dr. McShane was checking over Horatio, Calleigh manages to snag some food and then comes back to Horatio's side with a cup of coffee and a warm smile.

"How did he say things um look?"

"Fine," Horatio replies tight lipped.

"What aren't you telling me?"

She looks closer and finally sees the fear in his eyes and slightly pulls back. She knows it's not fear of Carl Wheeler, because Horatio has faced monsters before and come out the victor, but this was different; it was personal. She notices his hand flinch toward his mid-section and the truth instantly dawns. He's afraid of how he looks underneath the flimsy hospital covering; afraid she'll be turned off by the ugly black webbing on his smooth chest.

"Can I see?" She tenderly asks. When he doesn't budge she moves in a bit closer. "Will be hard to shower together if I can't see you."

"Calleigh..." he starts only to have her hold up her hand.

"I love you Horatio and no matter what that monster did to you, I always will. I know this is rushed and sort of sudden, but I nearly lost the opportunity to tell you and I'm not going to allow that to happen again."

Horatio's hand lifts and brushes her cheek, her eyes closing with delight as his fingers are now warm and no longer cold to the touch. She slowly places her hand on the middle of the gown and gently peels it back, Horatio's eyes momentarily closing and his heart rate rising. Calleigh eyes the ugly webbing and the surgical bandages that cover the would-be scar before she pulls back and leans close to his face.

"More for me to kiss better," she whispers as her lips brush his for a few seconds. When she pulls back, she's thankful for the happy expression on his face instead of one of doubt or uncertainty. Calleigh settles back into her chair and for the next few hours, just talk about where their next official date will be, Frank's plan and then the team coming to visit. Ryan and Natalia are first, bringing Calleigh some fresh clothes and staying with Horatio while she gets something to eat and freshens up.

Eric and Alexx are next, also only staying for a brief visit and then Frank is the last to arrive, cementing the plan and telling them no further sightings of Wheeler. Horatio tells them how much Wheeler takes delight in the family's reaction to the news of the deaths and knows that if Horatio comes onto any public broadcast system and taunts Wheeler as a coward who failed it might force him to want to come back and get Horatio to finish it off. And then they'd be waiting.

Finally evening arrives.

"I think this will be easier tonight," Calleigh pushes a sleeping chair up beside Horatio's bed.

"You don't have to stay here," he tells her softly.

"Here is where I belong and no arguing or else," she playfully tosses back. But when she notices him a bit agitated she frowns. "What?"

"I need a wash of sorts. Dr. McShane said I could if I was careful but..."

"The showers are just next door and private," she mentions. "Need some help?"

"Hate to ask."

"What if the situation was reverse?" She counters with an arched brow. And before he can offer another argument she slowly peels back the hospital blanket and then offers her hand. Horatio hesitates at first but then extends his hand and grasps hers like a drown man grasping his last life line, holds on and slowly pushes himself upward, wincing as the black webbing strains against his tender skin.

"Doc says I'll only have one scar," he huffs as they slowly head for the bathroom. "A scar."

"Scar's are sexy," Calleigh smirks as her hands snakes around his waist, his body wanting to enflame in certain areas. They reach the small bathroom just outside their room and enter, Calleigh locking the door behind them and then watching Horatio.

"Want me to leave?"

"No," he turns to her with a strained glance. "Just um...well I'd like to have company but..."

"But with me in there," she walks closer, her arms resting on his hips. "The shower would be moot."

"Exactly."

"Just close the curtain, but you can't stop me from thinking naughty thoughts about you in there."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he whispers as he leans in closer, his lips brushing her cheek before he finally wraps his arms around her and holds on. "Thank you."

"For what?" She asks in wonder.

"When I was with Carl...the one thing that kept me going...was you," he whispers as his lips nuzzle her ear, his body gently sagging into hers as he feels some strength leaving the longer he's up and not resting. "You kept me alive," he confesses as he pulls back and looks at her with a serious expression.

"Giving up on you was to give up on us and that wasn't an option. But I still am going to punish you for not practicing what you preach," she ends with a wink.

"I hope you do," he mumbles as he leans in closer, his warm forehead resting on hers. His lips brush hers once more before he pulls back and slowly walks behind the cement wall and turns on the warm water, slowly shedding his hospital attire and allowing the steam to calm his shivers. He looks down at the stitches on his chest and although Dr. McShane said he could get a bit of water on them he was to avoid direct contact with the streams or suffer further pain.

Calleigh hears him utter small gasps of pain and feels herself involuntarily cringe each time. She wants nothing more than to march around the corner and take over, but knows that he's also feeling vulnerable and needs to get back his old aggressive self, that helping his self esteem the most. A few minutes later Horatio reappears with only his sleeping pants on, the top of the outfit in his fingers.

"Need a woman's touch?"

"I um...I do," he replies sheepishly. Noticing where the bandages have become a bit damp and started to pull away from the surgery dressing, Calleigh helps Horatio put the top back on and then carefully dries and reapplies some fresh dry ones. Afterward they head back into his room, Horatio easing himself into the bed and Calleigh fixing herself in the sleeping bed, moving as close to him without doing any kind of damage.

The night that unfolds was pretty much the same as the night before, Horatio waking with some frightful dreams and Calleigh helping with whatever was needed until both of them finally allowed their minds to clear and sleep for a few solid hours until the sun came up. Today was the day to go home.

Since the distance back to Horatio's actual home was quite considerable and not being able to have a seatbelt press up against his recovering chest for that long, he was air-lifted to Miami-Dade general where Tripp was waiting to take them to Horatio's place.

"Still nothing yet," Frank sighs as they reach Horatio's beach side home. "I figure we'll give it one more day and then you can make your press announcement."

"Thanks Frank," Horatio's hand rests on his best friends forearm. "For everything."

"Thank me when this guy's caught. How's Calleigh holding up? You gave her...well all of us quite a scare. But her especially."

"Yes, I already got the, _'don't let me lecture you on be in a hypocrite,' _scolding," Horatio mentions lightly, to which Frank just smirks as Calleigh comes back and joins them.

"Right well I'll leave you two alone and get back to my guys. Horatio you sure you'll be ready for this tomorrow."

"I want this guy out of business Frank. The sooner the better."

"You got it."

Both of them watch Frank leave, Calleigh closing the door and then turning back to Horatio with a slight frown.

"Nap time," she teases as she loops her arm in his.

"Are you going to join me?" He queries as they head for the stairs to go up to his bedroom.

"Of course. I'm supposed to be looking after you right? Pretty hard to do that in the other room."

They reach the top of the stairs, Horatio thankful that it's only his lungs that are feeling the strain, the rest of his body well on its way to recovery. They wander into his bedroom and Calleigh helps Horatio ease himself down and then slowly snuggles up beside him. He kisses the side of her cheek, forcing her to twist her face and look up at him with a smile.

"Think I can get a sponge bath later?"

"Think you'll be up for it?" She flirts.

"Oh trust me _that _part is working just fine," he flirts back, prompting her face to flush instantly.

"Well if you get some solid rest right now I don't see why not later. But you'll have to promise me it will only be a bath."

"What?" Horatio asks weakly, Calleigh's lips giggling.

"I can't push down on you, you know that."

"Shower?" He tries.

"No direct water contact on those stitches just yet."

"The wall?" He smirks and she just shakes her head.

"You are trouble," she mumbles before she leans in and presses her mouth onto his. "Just rest," she whispers when she pulls back. "We'll figure out the rest later."

"Deal," he agrees as they finally settle in to their sleep. But a few hours later, Horatio pulls himself from another fitful nightmare only to see that the sun has started to set and he's alone. "Calleigh?" He asks with a slightly dry cough. His nose picks up the aroma of something that smells good and a frown settles upon his face. The doctor said that he should avoid really harsh food for a few more days and he couldnt blame Calleigh for not wanting to eat in front of him.

Horatio very carefully removes himself from the warm nest of covers and slowly heads downstairs, feeling better than when he first fell asleep. When he gets downstairs he notices a suitcase by the door and hears Calleigh humming in the kitchen.

"Leaving so soon?" He gestures to the suitcase.

"Just arrived," she winks. "I needed a few things and so slipped out while you were away. I had my Big Mac in the car so am making soup for you."

"Thanks," Horatio deadpans as he nears her.

"Come join me," she entreats.

Horatio hovers over Calleigh as she explains what she's made and that she didn't actually eat a Big Mac, only a small snack as she wanted to wait for him. Horatio watches in interest as she explains what she's making and soon the two of them are seated on his deck, a modest meal for them to share, enjoying the warm breeze, but not realizing that trouble was watching them.

"What is it?" Calleigh asks, noting the look of concern on Horatio's face. She takes his fingers in her and gives them a squeeze, prompting him to look at her with a slight frown.

"He's out there and I think closer than we might know."

"He might have run."

"He knew I wasn't dead. In his eyes and his tone...there was uncertainty," Horatio ponders. "That's why he hasn't been seen yet. He's already on to us."

Horatio feels her grip tighten and his own heart rate pick up the pace.

"I'll not lose you to him, not again," Calleigh states firmly.

"Carl Wheeler's days are numbered," Horatio replies with a confirmation nod.

However, from a carefully concealed hiding spot, Carl Wheeler narrows his gaze, laughing at the fact that the house was relatively unguarded and he wasn't at all threatened by the pretty blond that was guarding the wounded Lieutenant. But a he watches Horatio, his lips tighten and his fist curl into angry balls as he thinks about the one that got away. He doesn't even have to see the headlines to know what Caine would say.

_'I bested the big rig killer. He's a coward...I won.'_

And Carl wasn't about to let anyone best him, much less lives to tell. In reality he hadn't figured that Horatio was alive, was only coming back to his place because he knew the roads out of the state would be monitored. Having Horatio and his houseguest alive just meant more fun for him.

Although he couldn't quite hear what they were saying he tells himself that the team is probably out searching for him so it would be less attention on the Lieutenant's location. He continues to watch, noticing the blond doting on the wounded Caine and his disdain rising. He never knew love and came to despise those that had what he never would.

_You'll both be easy pickin's, _Wheeler's mind states in error as he continues to watch. _I kill them both tonight, slip into that waiting boat and pick up a truck on the other side. _

He looks at his watch and frowns, looking back up at Horatio and cursing once more. However, it isn't long before he watches both of them slowly get up and head inside, the back door closing and the lights going off.

"And tonight I won't take any chances. I'm not leaving until I know for sure they're both dead! Well Lieutenant Caine...here I come..."

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**A/N:** Well one more chappy to go and hope you all stay tuned and thanks again.


	6. Revenge & Rebirth

**Title: A Near Fatal Mistake  
****Chapter 6 - Revenge & Rebirth**

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By the time Calleigh feels Horatio's hand gently ease in hers she looks over to see dark amber lashes now resting on slightly flushed cheeks and feels her heart warm. He was at peace, for the most part. But as she watches his eyes struggling to stay open and then some exposed parts of his chest and arm cover with shiver bumps from the cool night air she knows it's time to get them both inside.

"Horatio," she calls his name lightly.

"Yes sweetheart?" He answers with a lazy smile as his eyes crack open and he looks at her in love. "Bed time?"

"For both of us," she tells him in truth. "And maybe if you're feeling..."

"Up to it?" He smirks as his eyes open fully and he slowly upright himself.

"Yes that," she smiles. "I can make some pancakes for breakfast."

"Not to dry?"

"I'll soak yours in milk," she smirks as she allows him to steady himself by holding onto to her, his arms gently wrapped around her waist as he looks down with a smile. He lowers his mouth to hers, pressing his lips against hers and delighting in the feel of warmth as it floods his body, small shivers felt down to his feet. Although this time he knows the shivers aren't from the cold they are from the chemical reactions their combined bodies are creating.

"Wish I was strong enough to have all of you right now," he admits with a heavy sigh as he pulls back, kissing the top of her nose.

"Well I am not going anywhere, are you?"

"No...I'm not," he assures her as he kisses her on the lips once more.

Not realizing they have an audience, they head inside, Calleigh locking the door and then turning off the backyard light. Telling Horatio, she'd put the rest of the dinner items away in the morning, both of them slowly head for the stairs and then up them toward his bedroom.

"I'm going to have my shower and you just rest."

"Would like to join you."

"I'd like that also," she smiles as she returns his earlier gesture and kisses the top of his nose. "Next time."

Horatio just smiles as he watches her gather a few things and the head into his large bathroom, just off his bedroom. He slowly undresses, looking at himself in the mirror and wincing, not knowing he had an audience. He looks at her reflection in the mirror but doesn't turn around to face her.

"You can still join me," she offers, mostly to lift his mood a little.

"Next time."

Calleigh just shakes her head as she playfully swats him on the ass before turning to leave, closing the bathroom door and then humming away to herself as she starts to get undressed, the hot water from the shower already steaming up the modest space.

As he listens to her humming away, Horatio's heart settles and his mind starts to tell himself that she's here to stay and that aside from Carl Wheeler their future was certain. _Then tell her you love her already! _His brain chides. He knows he wants to but at the right moment, not at a time when he thinks she might think he's offering it at an inopportune time or just to get a sexual favor in return.

Horatio slowly eases himself into bed and rests his head on the pillow, his eyes fixed on the door to his bathroom where Calleigh is hidden away from his wanting gaze.

Calleigh allows the warm water to work at her tense frame. She wishes Horatio's perfect frame was under the water with hers; pushing her up against the tiles and offering all of himself to her and of course taking whatever he wanted in return. She finishes hers shower and then dries herself off, carefully opening the door in case Horatio was asleep.

She leans against the doorframe, watching him as he sleeps. She notices his face at rest, amber strands nearly hiding one eye, his chest slowly moving up and down. Her face softens as his brow furrows and for a split second she wonders if she should actually disturb his sleep or allow him his rest and sleep on the couch. But telling herself that if he has nightmares he'll want her there, so she opts for the second, dropping her bag on the floor beside the bed and then heading for the dresser.

But just as she reaches the dresser, she pauses, her ears picking up what she thinks is the sound of tinkling glass. She gives her head a small shake, telling herself that it's just her being overtired and she locked the doors.

"But did I set the alarm?" She asks herself with a slight huff. Remembering she didn't she takes her phone with her and then heads for the bedroom door, thankful that she's not making enough noise to wake him up. But as she reaches the top of the stairwell she stops, her ears thinking they are picking up something that isn't right.

This time she hears shuffling and feels her stomach tighten instantly. She quickly texts Frank, telling him to get over to Horatio's but just to check out side and see if something wasn't right and then let her know what if anything was out of place. She places her phone down on the dresser and quickly snatches her gun, her heart starting to race.

She flips on the hall lighting and gazes down into the dimly lit space before her, not seeing anything and telling herself that it was just jitters from the discussion they with Frank hours earlier. Calleigh starts to slowly descend, one hand on her gun and the other on the railing. She hears her phone beep once and knows its Frank texting back, hopefully on his way just to check things out.

She reaches the bottom and stops again, hearing nothing but the sound of her own heart reverberating in her heart and head. She takes a few more steps, gun still in hand, as she heads toward the back door, her eyes darting around to every dark shadow that seems to laugh at her nervous state.

But just as she reaches the security panel, a hand scoots out, clamps around her mouth and yanks her back, the other thick hand of Carl Wheeler immediately punching the gun from hers so that it clatters to the floor a few feet away.

"Time to die blondie," Carl's hot breath hisses near her ear as he delights in the feel of her body struggling against his. He brings his killing knife in front of her face, allowing her to see the faint traces of blood in the dim lighting. "And then Caine."

Knowing that she has to warn Horatio at any cost, she brings her heel down on his foot and while his body momentarily falters with his hold on her, she sends her hand back and firmly grabs his groin.

His hand leaves her mouth, his lips offering a grunt as his grasp loosens further.

"HORATIO!" She bellows as she pushes back and tries to yank herself free.

"Time to die you little bitch!" Horatio hears a Carl Wheeler's voice growl and instantly his pain is forgotten and he's out of bed, rushing for his gun, forgetting the phone on the dresser that is buzzing; stating that Frank is on his way.

Calleigh twists herself in the killers grasp, slapping him hard in the face but cutting her arm in the process, pulling back with a small help but able to pull herself out of his grasp. However, Wheeler, determined not to give up until she's dead, shoots out his hand, grasps some hair and gives it a tug, pulling Calleigh's body back into his grasp just as Horatio reaches the bottom of the stairs.

Seeing her being treated so roughly in Wheeler's grasp, Horatio lunges for them, unable to take a clean shot without hitting Calleigh at all. He uses the butt end of the gun to smash Wheeler in the jaw, thus breaking Calleigh from his grasp and sending her to the side, scrambling after her gun.

"Glad you could join her Caine, she didn't want to die alone," Wheeler snides as he punches Horatio in the chest. However, knowing to protect his chest from any kind of real damage, he allows his already tender ribs to absorb the blow, telling himself that the surgical wound needs to be kept safe.

He knees Wheeler in the groin, grabbing a handful of hair at the same time and punching Wheeler in the jaw. Wheeler, though, gives Horatio a firm shove, pushing the wounded red-head backward and then throwing his full weight into Horatio's tender mid-section.

"One piece at a time Caine," Wheeler growls as he punches Horatio in the side once more.

Horatio brings his foot down onto Wheeler's and but Wheeler manages to get a blow to his surgical wound sending Horatio backward with a sharp outcry of pain. He watches Wheeler lunging toward him, bloody knife in hand and an evil glint in his eyes.

"Time to die Caine! And then her!" Wheeler shouts as he hurls himself through the air, the knife poised and ready to jab into his heart. Just at the same moment, Calleigh recovers, gets to her knees and fires at the same time as Horatio.

Her shot embeds itself in the back of his head and his in his heart; both kill shots meeting their targets expertly. Just as Wheeler's body falls to the ground, Frank busts through the door with his gun ready. All three watch for a few seconds to ensure that Carl Wheeler was in fact dead before anyone dared to exhale.

"Frank," Horatio hoarsely whispers as he leans against the stair railing.

"Heard there was a serial killer visiting?" Frank states wryly as he quickly stows his gun and pulls his phone; calling to say the search for Carl Wheeler was officially over, the monster was finally dead.

"Guess we don't have to make that announcement tomorrow," Frank smirks as he slowly heads for Wheeler's body, Calleigh already on her way to Horatio.

"Where are you hurt?" Horatio asks in concern as he quickly inspects her bloody arm,

"Just a superficial cut. Are you okay?" She questions as looks as his furrowed brow.

"Nothing a good night's sleep won't cure," he smiles, both of them almost forgetting Frank was in the room.

"So uh..." Frank pipes up, prompting both to look at him in haste. "Want to get a room?"

"Sure, just take him with you when you leave Frank," Horatio shoots back, causing Frank to just shake his head as his friend.

"I meant elsewhere," Frank replies. "Like Calleigh's? And then we can clean up here."

"Thanks for the suggestion Frank," Calleigh smiles as they hear the sirens finally stop just outside.

Calleigh goes off with the medics and allows her arm to be treated and wrapped, the cut not needing stitches. Thankfully the bandages protected Horatio's fresh stitching so all he required was some minor tending to and then all would be okay. He packed a small bag and then he and Calleigh headed to hers while Frank and Eric dealt with the clean-up of Horatio's house, Frank locking everything down when he left.

"Remind me to set the security alarm," Calleigh mentions as they slowly enter her quiet place, it being well past midnight.

"Just keep your gun close by," Horatio remarks.

"Which one?" Calleigh counters and Horatio's lips offer a soft smirk.

"Of course," he smiles as he pulls her close to him once more and emits a heavy sigh.

"What is it?" She asks in haste, looking at him with a wondering glance.

"When I heard you scream..." his voice dies out a he gazes into her eyes, his heart racing. "This time it was I who thought I lost you."

"Wasn't meant to be. We are..."

"I love you Calleigh Duquesne," Horatio admits warmly, his fingers cupping her face just as his lips meet hers for a heated meeting.

"I guess nearly dying..."

"No, I'm telling you this because I am not afraid to tell you anymore. I love you," he whispers once more, pushing his lips firmly against hers and tasting them for a few more blissful seconds.

"I love you too," she replies as her arms wrap around his waist, mindful of his tender mid-section. Their union remains locked until Calleigh pulls back with a flushed face. "You need rest."

"I need you," he admits warmly.

"Tomorrow."

"Promise?" He asks in haste, forcing a soft giggle from her lips.

"Of course," she agrees, kissing him once more and then pulling back. "Let's get some rest, some _real _rest."

"Yes, no interruptions this time."

They both slowly head for Calleigh's master bedroom upstairs, getting into the warm bed and having no trouble falling asleep in each other's arms.

As Calleigh suspected, Horatio's sleep wasn't as restful as hers, waking every several hours with nightmares about Carl Wheeler killing either or both of them. It wasn't surprising then, that they were able to sleep in the next morning, Calleigh calling Eric and staying she wasn't coming in and Horatio of course was on leave for several days.

Frank made the announcement about Carl Wheeler's death and finally the big-rig-slicer-and-dicer file was closed with a confirmed death of the mad-man himself.

"Smells good, warm soup again?" Horatio wonders as he joins Calleigh in the kitchen later that night.

"Yes but it's a hearty puree soup and trust me you'll love it."

"Can I help?"

"Sure," she answers, accepting the soft kiss on her cheek and then handing him some plates for the table. She had also set out some fresh bread, telling him of course he wasn't able to eat the crust and a few other things that the doctor said would be okay.

"I'm glad he's dead," Calleigh mentions absently as she stares down at her soup with a frown and then back up Horatio with a small sigh.

"Frank was able to find the rest of his history under his _real _name, Carl Winston. But a lot of his murders were also suspected and nothing was ever put into a file so we are not sure how many men Carl actually murdered."

"To have so much hatred inside," she ponders, leaning back in her chair and allowing him to play with her fingers, transferring warmth to her hand.

"It all started with his father," Horatio frowns, looking down at her delicate fingers in his.

"Not all sons end up like their fathers," she lovingly reminds him, prompting his warm blue gaze to look back up to her.

"I suppose that's true."

"Tired?"

"Only my body is."

"But your body needs rest."

"My body needs you."

"One more night of rest Horatio, doctor's orders," Calleigh teases as she leans in closer and kisses him on the lips. But before she can pull away, his fingers gently wrap around the back of her neck and keep her mouth trapped with his.

"Lets get some sleep then."

"So now you're eager?" She wonders.

"The sooner I get to sleep the sooner I get you right?" He counters and she just shakes her head.

"That was the deal," she states firmly and he nods in agreement.

"Very well then," he murmurs as they both stand up to clear the table. After it was done, both of them head upstairs for one more night of hopefully restful sleep.

"Goodnight," he whispers as his lips nuzzle her ear, drawing her body closer to his as she turns off the light.

"Goodnight," she whispers in return as she very carefully places her head on his uninjured shoulder, his warm breath soothing her bare shoulder.

The night wasn't as bad as the night before, Horatio having already settled in his mind that Carl Wheeler indeed dead and now it was a time to heal and be with the person he loves; giving all his time and attention to her. He told himself for the next few days, while she was on leave with him, that he would make the most every second, and that even when they were back at work the following week that he wouldn't ever allow a heated argument to tear apart the one thing in the world he holds sacred.

The next morning Horatio opens his eyes to see that he's alone, his ears picking up the sound of Calleigh humming in the bathroom. He lifts his head just as she appears in the doorway, wearing only her robe; it being partially open and showing him that she has nothing on underneath.

"Morning handsome," she greets. "Was just about to turn on the hot water. Want to join me?"

"I um...I do," he gently frowns, his mind quickly reminding him of his healing chest. But wanting to show his ultimate expression of love for her, he's quick to remove himself from bed and hurry after her toward the waiting bathroom. Calleigh turns on the hot water and then turns to him with her robe open.

"We might not make it in there," he eyes her lush frame greedily.

"Didn't say we had to. I just like it warm and steamy in here," she winks as she slowly pulls open the robe and allows it to fall to her feet.

Horatio is quick to also do the same, hesitating for a moment before removing his shirt; his body already hard in anticipation of their union.

"I love you no matter what," she whispers as her soft lips plant a soft kiss on the first stitching marks. "Does this make it feel all better?"

"Yes," he answers in haste as he removes his shirt and then grasps her arms, pulling her close and devouring her mouth with his.

As she had wanted, the steam from the shower, works to heat the space, warming the tiles beside the door so that when her naked frame is gently pushed up against it, there is no discomfort and she is able to carry on with her task of helping to complete their union.

"Calleigh..." Horatio gently huffs as their union finally starts, his lungs doing a bit extra as they start to make love. And while he doesnt have as much pain as he would if they were in any type of horizontal position, the more their rhythm continues to build the more his feel the strain.

"Are you...okay?" Calleigh asks breathlessly, her body arching into his grasp.

"Yes," he offers a small pant in return; his face flushed but heart and mind both delighting in the feel of Calleigh giving all herself to him.

"So beautiful..." he manages once more, his core now enflamed from their actions. Her mouth covers his once more, just as he's about to offer a few more verbal offerings of pleasure.

"Horatio..." Calleigh gasps as she finally allows his mouth to explore her face and neck. A few minutes later their union races toward the finish line, both of them calling the other's name and then standing still, just their hearts racing in each of them.

"That was..."

"Amazing..."

They finally separate and Horatio looks at the shower and frowns.

"Too bad you wasted the water."

"What do you mean?" Calleigh asks in wonder.

"I think it's time for my sponge bath."

"I guess since you're still up for it," she flirts and his face warms once more. "And then...how about breakfast in bed?" She asks warmly.

"I love the sound of that," he whispers as he pulls her into his strong embrace and offers her the first of many kisses to come; their day ahead promising to be one spent just ensuring the other was kept happy and satisfied; a task neither seemed to mind.

**THE END!**

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**A/N:** Well thanks everyone. A Special **THANK YOU **to those that took the time to leave a review for each chapter, most appreciated.

This will be my last DuCaine fic (at least multi-chapter) so hope you all liked it and please leave a review when you go. Thanks again!


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